Appendix B: Examples of Health Professions

Physician Assistant

Employment as a physician assistant requires training in an accredited PA program. There are currently more than 129 such programs in the United States typically affiliated with medical schools or schools of allied health. Applicants to a physician assistant program usually have a background in patient care and often have earned a bachelor or master's degree. After 2 years of study and training, graduates earn a baccalaureate degree, associate's degree, master's degree, or a certificate of completion, depending on the program. Forty-nine States and the District of Columbia require a certifying exam for employment as a Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C). To maintain this status, State regulations specify 100 hours of continuing medical education every 2 years and a re-certification exam every 6 years. Additional education is often needed for specialization.

*The median annual salary of physician assistants was $61,910 in 2000.

The lowest 10 percent earned less than $32,690 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $88,100 a year. Physician assistants working in doctors' offices and clinics earned a median $64,430 in 2000. Those working in hospitals earned $61,460.

According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, median income for physician assistants in full-time clinical practice in 2000 was about $65,177 median income for first-year graduates was about $56,977.

*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2000-01 Edition.

Copyrighted by: The National Health Council, October 1998; reproduced with permission by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Further reproduction prohibited without permission of copyright holder, www.nationalhealthcouncil.org.