October 6th (Thursday) is Physician Assistant’s Day. It’s a day to honor physician assistants all over the world for their tireless dedication to their craft. We’ve had the honor of working with a number of physician assistant’s all over the world to help people in need. The physician assistant (PA) is the team player of the medical world. PAs practice medicine on teams with health care professionals like surgeons, physicians and others. This growing field in health care is one of the least-understood. So here are a few facts about these hard-working health care pros.
1. Physician Assistants were created in the 1960s to relieve a shortage of primary care physicians.
2. Want to be a PA? It’s a challenge to be accepted into PA school. There are over 125 PA programs in the United States, however the average class size is 31.
3. To become a PA you’ll first need an undergraduate degree in one of the sciences, like biology or chemistry.
4. But there are jobs out there if you want to become a PA. According to 2014 numbers the number of PA jobs available in the United States was 94,400.
5. It’s estimated the PA job outlook will grow 30% from now until 2024, making it one of the fastest growing fields in health care.
6. 33% of all PAs practice in primary care.
7. According to May 2015 figures, the median annual wage for a PA was $98,180.
8. PAs are versatile. Almost half report working in two to three areas of medicine throughout their careers.
9. PAs can take your medical history, conduct physical exams, treat illnesses, develop treatment plans and more.
10. Since the position started in 1967 the number of PAs has doubled.
11. PAs aren’t “assistants to doctors.” Typically the only area PAs assist doctors is in surgery. The vast majority work independently.
12. 40% of all PAs work in private practice offices.
13. States with the largest growth of PAs, according to 2012 numbers, are: Texas, California, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
14. PAs are helping improve rural heath care. 37% of all PAs work in under-served areas of the United States.
15. PAs are seeing a lot of patients. It’s estimated the average PA treats 3,500 patients each year.
16. PAs are just as good as physicians. They have the same number of lawsuits, on average, as traditional physicians.
17. 69% of all PAs in the United States are female.
