Physicians Assistant Salaries: How Much Salary Does a PA Make?
March 8, 2011
Physician assistant salary amounts are robust for recent graduates as well as experienced professionals ranging well over $100,000 a year for many.
If you are considering a career as a physician assistant you may be curious as to where the physician assistant salary will fall.
Physician’s assistant salaries can range anywhere from $51,000 up to $125,000 a year in certain specialty offices.
Salaries for Physicians Assistants are Excellent
Physicians Assistant Salary Ranges
According to a major online site that details salary ranges for all major professions (salary.com), physicians assistant salaries can be in the U.S. on average $89,819 a year. This number is from March of 2011 for Atlanta, GA. But depending upon where you are working your physicians assistant salary can be much higher.
There are some factors that yield higher physicians assistant salaries. So think about what type of environment you prefer to work.
Do you want to work in one of the following?
-Surgical, Emergency Room, high stress situations
-Specialty medical practice (dermatology, OB-GYN, etc.)
-Health Clinic
If you work in a health clinic you are not going to make as much for instance if you are working in a surgical environment.
How much will you make straight out of a physicians assistant program?
More than likely you will be able to start your career making around $75,000 your first year as a physicians assistant. But again you will make less if you begin your career working in a health clinic.
If you look at the latest government statistics from research completed for physician assistants there are some interesting points:
Physician Assistants Salary
Medical and Surgical Hospitals: $84,550
Outpatient Care Centers $84,390
Physicians office(family practice) $80,440
Federal Government $78,200
Universities and Professional schools $74,200
You can see that there is some variation in where you end up working and how much your salary will be as a physician assistant.
Now this information from the Bureau of Labor statistics is very interesting.
What Industry Employs the Most Physicians Assistants?
Industry Employment
Offices of Physicians 42,440
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 18,330
Outpatient Care Centers 6,370
Federal 2,220
Universities, and Professional Schools 1,710
Let me break this down a little more. If you wanted to make the most amount of money possible what city should you investigate you career as a physicians assistant.
In Chattanooga, TN you can expect to make the most at $63.38/hour. Next on the list is Lake County-Kenosha County, IL at $58.30 per hourly mean wage. Las Vegas, NV averages about $54.55/hour and Ocala, FL pays an hourly mean rate of $54.05 for a physician’s assistant.
Physician Assistant Salary Summary:
It appears that the need for Physician Assistants in the near future is great. A PA can make a good living and do many things that a physician can accomplish without the higher wage a physician requires. The job outlook is bright and the pay is excellent.
If you are a physicians assistant or aspiring to work in that capacity, it is important to understand where the jobs are and where you can be the most in demand.
The most important determining variables for physicians assistant salaries is number of years experience and location employed. If you want to live and work in New York City, you will be well paid. But physicians assistant salaries in Atlanta, GA will likely be less than NY or NJ. Since it costs much more to live in the Northeast you should expect that the average physicians assistant salaries would likewise be a bit more. You will need to do the math and determine if it is worth it for you to work and live in a place that costs more.
For more information on physician’s assistant salaries and benefits check out the American Academy of Physician Assistant’s: http://www.aapa.org/