Pros and Cons of Physician Assistant?

Question

I am going to make a career change and am considering my options, can anyone provide me with some pros and cons of being a physician assistant. It is important to me to have flexibility to be available for my family as well as decent pay.

Answer 1

You may or may not be able to find a position which allows you flexibility in your area.  It is hard to say what positions are available in any given area.  Most of the people who contact me with positions are looking to fill full time openings in clinics with already established clinic hours.

Physician Assistants have an average salary range in the US between $53,120 and $103,240 per year according to national salary surveys.  The average salary in the US is approximately $63,099 based on those surveys.  

While some PAs are able to find positions which allow them to work flexible hours, or even travel or work part of the year; most PAs work in a traditional clinic setting or Emergency Room.  When you get a clinic position often it requires working late clinics for patients who don't want to take time off work for medical appointments or working some weekend days.  Where in the past it was assumed the patients would come to the clinic and wait for the provider, the current trends is towards medical care which meets the convenience of the patient.  Even in some cases of concierge clinics the physicians are now seeing the patients in their offices, going to the schools to see children at the school clinic and making house calls.  In addition to working extended clinic hours to meet the needs of the patients, insurance issues and the legal issues associated with documentation, and correspondence adds several hours to the average clinic day. So most clinic providers will work between 56-70 hours a week.

On the good side, the job is very rewarding from both an emotional and intellectual side.  Also, if you can find a flexible position, and it pays well you have the best of all worlds.

Answer 2

US-JD gave you a lot of good info. He is correct--they pay is quite good, although the latest salary figures in one Journal had the mean pay a bit higher now ($78,000). As for flexibility; I have always had great luck finding flexible shifts, as I try and match my husband's ER shifts.  I generally pick my own schedule (2-3 days a week on the average) but I am in a ER; other PAs I know work 3 -12 hour days in clinics & doctor's offices. Others do straight 5 day a week stuff. When I worked in the PICU however I did 5 12-hour days plus one 24 hour on call/week minimum. Currently, I live in Calif but only work the summers in Maryland in the summer clinics there on the eastern shore.  They let me pick whatever I want as long as I take 12 shifts a month. So, you just have to look around for these more flexible things.  Also, like any job, the more experience the more likely you can call the shots. The only con I ever really came up against was just not being "the real doctor" but I got over that! and quit letting it bother me.