Summary Report for:
29-1071.00 - 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.
Sample of reported job titles:
Physician Assistant (PA), Physician Assistant Certified (PAC), Physician's Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Family Practice Physician Assistant, Midlevel Provider, Orthopaedic Physician Assistant
Tasks | Tools & Technology | Knowledge | Skills | Abilities | Work Activities | Work Context | Job Zone | Interests | Work Styles | Work Values | Related Occupations | Wages & Employment | Additional Information
Tasks
- 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.
- Provide physicians with assistance during surgery or complicated medical procedures.
- Supervise and coordinate activities of technicians and technical assistants.
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Tools & Technology
Tools used in this occupation:
| Hypodermic needles — Intramuscular needles; Subcutaneous needles |
| Ophthalmoscopes or otoscopes or scope sets — Ophthalmoscopes; Otoscopes |
| Spinal trays or needles — Bone marrow biopsy equipment; Lumbar puncture equipment |
| Surgical clamps or clips or forceps or accessories — Artery forceps; Bull dog nose clamps; Mosquito artery forceps; Vascular straight aortic clamps |
| Vacuum blood collection tubes or containers — Evacuated blood collection tubes; Vacutainer tubes |
Technology used in this occupation:
| Internet browser software — Web browser software |
| Medical software — ChartWare; Electronic medical record EMR software |
| Spreadsheet software |
| Storage media loading software — Patient records software for personal digital assistants PDAs |
| Word processing software |
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Knowledge
| Medicine and Dentistry — Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures. |
| Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment. |
| Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders. |
| Therapy and Counseling — Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance. |
| Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. |
| English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. |
| Chemistry — Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods. |
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Skills
| Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. |
| Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. |
| Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively. |
| Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. |
| Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. |
| Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. |
| Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. |
| Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others. |
| Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. |
| Science — Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems. |
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Abilities
| Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. |
| Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. |
| Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). |
| Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. |
| Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. |
| Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. |
| Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. |
| Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). |
| Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. |
| Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. |
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Work Activities
| Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients. |
| Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
| Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. |
| Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. |
| Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests. |
| Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. |
| Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used. |
| Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
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Work Context
| Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? |
| Telephone — How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections — How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections? |
| Duration of Typical Work Week — Number of hours typically worked in one week. |
| Face-to-Face Discussions — How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? |
| Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? |
| Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? |
| Deal With External Customers — How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job? |
| Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — How do the decisions an employee makes impact the results of co-workers, clients or the company? |
| Consequence of Error — How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not readily correctable? |
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Job Zone
| Title |
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed |
| Overall Experience |
A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified. |
| Job Training |
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. |
| Job Zone Examples |
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives. |
| SVP Range |
(7.0 to < 8.0) |
| Education |
Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not. |
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Interests
Interest code: IS
| Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally. |
| Social — Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others. |
| Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others. |
| Artistic — Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules. |
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Work Styles
| Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. |
| Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. |
| Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. |
| Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations. |
| Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical. |
| Self Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. |
| Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. |
| Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. |
| Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. |
| Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. |
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Work Values
| Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. |
| Relationships — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. |
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Related Occupations
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Wages & Employment Trends
National
| Median wages (2006) |
$36.05 hourly, $74,980 annual |
| Employment (2006) |
66,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2006-2016) |
Much faster than average (21% or higher)
|
| Projected need (2006-2016) |
27,000 additional employees |
State & National
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2006 wage data
and 2006-2016 employment projections
.
"Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2006-2016). "Projected need" represents job openings due to growth and net replacement.
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Sources of Additional Information
Disclaimer:
Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries.
Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.
- American Academy of Physician Assistants Information Center
, 950 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314-1552. Phone: (703) 836-2272. Fax: (703) 684-1924.
- National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, Inc.
, 6849-B Peachtree Dunwoody Rd., Atlanta, GA 30328. Phone: (678) 417-8100.
- Physician Assistant Education Association
, 300 N. Washington St., Suite 505, Alexandria, VA 22314-2544. Phone: (703) 548-5538. Fax: (703) 548-5539.
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