Physician Assistants

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.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Active Listening
Writing
Speaking
Social Perceptiveness
Service Orientation
Judgment and Decision Making

Key knowledge

Medicine and Dentistry
Biology
English Language
Psychology
Therapy and Counseling
Customer and Personal Service
Education and Training
Sociology and Anthropology

What the work involves

Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.
Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.
Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.
Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.
Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.
Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management.
Instruct and counsel patients about prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Investigative, Conventional.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Master's Degree (81.1% of respondents)
Related experience: None (35.1%)
On-the-job training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (27%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Physician Assistants is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Very high	Higher on contact with others than 94% of occupations compared	92% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Very high	Higher on dealing with the public than 84% of occupations compared	62% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	Very high	Higher on teamwork than 88% of occupations compared	72% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Very high	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 92% of occupations compared	73% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom”
Time pressure	Very high	Higher on time pressure than 84% of occupations compared	59% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day”
Conflict situations	Very high	Higher on conflict situations than 89% of occupations compared	43% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very high	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 92% of occupations compared	42% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Consequence of error	Very high	Higher on consequence of error than 96% of occupations compared	70% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: very high
Conflict situations: very high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very high
Consequence of error: very high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions