See which states have the most physician assistants; See average salaries by specialty
The market for physician assistants is booming, according to a new report, though earnings vary across specialties.
The market for physician assistants is booming, according to a new report, though earnings vary across specialties.
The market for physician assistants is booming, according to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants in a just-released 2014 report. Though some states are saturated more than others when it comes to these clinicians.
According to the report, more than 101,000 physicians assistants were working in the United States in 2014, with the highest concentration in the Northeast.
The NCCPA, which certifies physician assistants, gathered data from more than 80,000 of these professionals who answered their surveys.
Here’s a breakdown by state:
While more and more hospitals are boosting staffs of physician assistants to save money and meet a growing doctor shortage, some of these workers are somewhat unsatisfied with their job, according to the report.
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Of the 5,821 physician who said they were planning to leave, more than 3,600 of them said they plan to leave their current job to find another clinical positions. At the same time, more than 2,000 said they plan to leave over wages they feel don’t reflect the workload and responsibilities of the job and 1,500 said they don’t find the work rewarding.
Wages for the work also vary. Physician assistants in dermatology earn more than $112,000, while those in adolescent medicine earn closer to $76,000.
| Specialty | Mean salary | Median salary |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty | Mean salary | Median salary |
| Adolescent Medicine | $76,724 | $75,000 |
| Anesthesiology | $93,402 | $95,000 |
| Critical Care Medicine | $108,362 | $105,000 |
| Dermatology | $112,538 | $105,000 |
| Emergency Medicine | $109,068 | $105,000 |
| Family Medicine - General Practice | $89,999 | $85,000 |
| Gynecology | $78,641 | $75,000 |
| Hospital Medicine | $98,853 | $95,000 |
| Internal Medicine - General Practice | $90,212 | $85,000 |
| Internal Medicine - Subspecialty | $93,169 | $95,000 |
| Neurology | $90,267 | $85,000 |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | $84,177 | $85,000 |
| Occupational Medicine | $93,303 | $95,000 |
| Ophthalmology | $90,128 | $85,000 |
| Otolaryngology | $92,024 | $95,000 |
| Pediatrics | $84,006 | $85,000 |
| Pediatrics - Subspecialties | $93,790 | $95,000 |
| Physical Medicine - Rehabilitation | $89,153 | $85,000 |
| Preventive Medicine - Public | $82,742 | $85,000 |
| Psychiatry | $94,426 | $95,000 |
| Radiation Oncology | $96,130 | $95,000 |
| Radiology | $99,027 | $95,000 |
| Surgery - General | $98,861 | $95,000 |
| Surgery - Subspecialties | $107,559 | $105,000 |
| Urology | $96,504 | $95,000 |
| Other | $94,752 | $95,000 |
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