Physician Assistants: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · SOC 29-1071 · O*NET 29-1071.00
Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients. May, in some cases, prescribe medication. Must graduate from an accredited educational program for physician assistants.
Physician Assistants fall under the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical category in the U.S. occupational classification. Physician Assistants earn a median salary of $133,260 per year, ranking in the top 4% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +20.4% job growth through 2034, projected to grow far faster than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree followed by a master's or doctoral degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about physician assistants right now
If your teen is drawn to hands-on medicine but does not want the length and cost of medical school, becoming a physician assistant is one of the smartest routes in health care today. The pay is strong and the demand is remarkable. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, PAs earned a median wage of $133,260 in May 2024, with the lowest tenth of earners near $95,240 and the top tenth above $182,200. Employment is projected to grow about 20.4 percent, far faster than most occupations, which means graduates enter a field actively hunting for them. The work is also changing in ways worth understanding. A Wolters Kluwer survey reported in late 2025 found that 56 percent of PAs now use AI daily, most often for clinical documentation and ambient scribe tools that quietly transcribe patient visits. Notably, 87 percent of PAs say they need more AI training and only 32 percent report clear workplace guidelines for safe AI use, so this technology is augmenting the role by lifting the paperwork burden rather than replacing clinicians. The path is long and gated, so early planning pays off. PA school requires a bachelor's degree with heavy science prerequisites, then a two to three year master's from a program accredited by the ARC-PA, then passing the national PANCE exam through the NCCPA, then a state license. Programs also expect 1,000 or more hours of direct patient-care experience before admission. In high school, your teen should load up on biology, chemistry, anatomy or physiology if offered, statistics, and strong writing. Just as important, encourage them to start logging real patient contact early through jobs or certifications such as certified nursing assistant, EMT, medical scribe, or phlebotomist. Volunteering in a clinic or hospital, shadowing a working PA, and keeping grades high in the sciences all build the record admissions committees reward. This is a licensed, respected profession with a clear ladder and excellent job security.
What do physician assistants earn?
The median annual wage for physician assistants is $133,260. That puts physician assistants at #34 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. Pay at this level is well above the U.S. median household income, signaling sustained demand and meaningful credential requirements. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $95,240 |
| 25th percentile | $113,770 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $133,260 |
| 75th percentile | $160,160 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $182,200 |
| Median hourly wage | $64.07/hr |
Is physician assistants a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for physician assistants is +20.4%, projected to grow far faster than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 162K positions in 2024 to 195K in 2034, a net change of 33K. Very fast growth indicates significant talent shortages and unusually strong hiring momentum — often the most resilient outlook a teenager can plan toward.
What do physician assistants do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working physician assistants, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
- 2.Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.
- 3.Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.
- 4.Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.
- 5.Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.
- 6.Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.
- 7.Instruct and counsel patients about prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance.
- 8.Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management.
Top skills for physician assistants
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become physician assistant?
Becoming a physician assistant typically requires a bachelor's degree followed by a master's, doctoral, or professional degree, plus state licensure or board certification depending on specialty. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
How to become physician assistant: step by step
The typical education and licensing pathway from high school into this profession. Total time to entry is about About 6 to 7 years. Steps marked optional are common for advancement but not required to start.
- 1
Bachelor's degree plus prerequisites and patient-care hours
~4 yearsApplicants build the academic and hands-on foundation for PA school. A bachelor's degree with prerequisite science coursework is required, and direct patient-care experience is a near-universal admissions gate. AAPA (professional association) and ARC-PA (accreditor) are the authoritative bodies for the field.
- •Complete an undergraduate degree in any major, though science majors are preferred
- •Finish specific prerequisite science coursework: anatomy, physiology, biology, chemistry, microbiology, and statistics
- •Accumulate direct patient-care experience, typically 1,000 to 2,000+ hours (some programs set a floor of 500 hours)
- •Take the GRE if required (just under half of PA programs still require it; a competitive composite is roughly 300+ with 3.5+ writing)
GRE (required by just under half of PA programs; a growing number have dropped it) - 2
Master's degree from an ARC-PA accredited PA program
~2.25 yearsThe master's is the required entry credential. Programs run roughly 27 months to 3 academic years and combine classroom didactics with supervised clinical rotations. Graduation from an ARC-PA accredited program is mandatory for licensure in all states. Some schools offer a combined pre-professional plus professional track (4 to 6 years total) open to recent high school graduates.
- •Graduate from a program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA)
- •Complete the didactic phase plus extensive supervised clinical rotations
- •Meet the governing ARC-PA Accreditation Standards for PA Education, Fifth Edition (July 2024)
- 3
National certification exam (PANCE)
~0.25 yearsThe National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) administers the PANCE. Passing confers board certification and the protected PA-C designation, which is a prerequisite for state licensure.
- •Sit the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) after graduating
- •Test at one of 300+ Pearson VUE centers, available year-round
- •Pass to earn NCCPA board certification and the legally protected PA-C credential
PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination), administered by the NCCPA - 4
State licensure
~0.25 yearsLicensure is regulated at the state level by state medical boards. Every state requires graduation from an ARC-PA accredited program plus current NCCPA certification. The PA Licensure Compact has reached its 7-state activation threshold, enabling a compact privilege for streamlined multi-state practice.
- •Apply to the state medical board where you intend to practice
- •Demonstrate graduation from an ARC-PA accredited program
- •Show a passing PANCE score and current NCCPA certification
- •Practice medicine under physician supervision or collaboration per state rules
- 5
Ongoing certification maintenance and recertification
~10 yearsPAs maintain NCCPA certification through recurring CME and the PANRE recertification exam. State license renewal depends on keeping NCCPA certification current, so this maintenance continues throughout the career.
- •Complete 100 hours of continuing medical education (CME) every 2 years
- •Pass the PANRE recertification exam every 10 years
- •Renew the state license, which is tied to maintaining NCCPA certification
PANRE (Physician Assistant National Recertifying Examination), every 10 years
Licensing requirements for physician assistants
Physician Assistants are regulated at the state level in the United States. Practicing without a current license is not legal in most jurisdictions.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about physician assistants
What is the median salary for physician assistants?
The median annual salary for physician assistants is $133,260 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is physician assistants a growing career?
BLS projects +20.4% growth for physician assistants from 2024 through 2034, which is very fast growth projected to grow far faster than the US average.
What education does my child need to become physician assistant?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree followed by a master's or doctoral degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to physician assistants?
Related occupations within the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.