Physician Assistant Salary

If you are reading this page you are either looking to become a physician assistant, a physician assistant checking to see if you are being paid the going rate, or an employer wondering what you should pay a physician assistant. If you are wondering whether you should become a physician assistant, I can tell you from being in the industry, that YES YOU SHOULD! I recommend to everyone I know who is looking to decide on a career, making a career transition, or finishing their schooling that becoming a PA-C is a great decision. There are over 120 physician assistant programs in the US and the costs range from a few thousand per year to almost $50,000 per year.

If you are a physician assistant looking to see what kind of pay range you should be in, first you must understand that many physician assistant jobs pay at different levels. This is also coupled with the fact that many physician assistant jobs pay at different levels in different geographic locations. Pennsylvania has the highest number of physician assistant programs in the US with 16 and consequently ranks at the bottom of the nation in physician assistant salary. I have seen the same physician assistant positions in Pennsylvania and Texas have a pay disparity of almost $30,000. This was for an orthopedic physician assistant, so there was a lot of opportunity for the swing because a surgical physician assistant is paid very well. There is also the money-happiness paradigm that we all face. Generally the higher paying positions are going to require more hours, more call, and more stress.

If you fall into the latter category and are concerned with physician assistant employment, then there are several factors that come into play. First, you cannot pay a physician assistant more than what they are able to bring to the practice. Physician assistant positions need to benefit the group as well as the individual. A physician assistant does not want you to pay them so much that you have to shut your doors. This will defeat the purpose of employing them. Generally a physician can bill at 80% of the normal billing rate for their PA. You must be able to foresee how many patients your PA can see, the average billing rate, average collections, and compute from there. You may want to ask your billing company or accountant to run some reports to see the impact of the PA on your office. I would also recommend paying your PA in accordance to their experience and also consider that you will want to increase their salary over time. Many physicians used to consider bringing a physician assistant into their practice an increase in time and work. However, many are now beginning to see the positive impact of having one (or two) in the office.