Are you a physician assistant or on your way to becoming one? You’ve picked a top career with endless opportunities. Read more!

<div class="text"><p style="margin: 0 0 16px;">If you’re a physician assistant or on the path to becoming one, you’ve picked a top-ranked career with endless opportunities!</p>

<p style="margin: 0 0 16px;">There are nearly 120,000 licensed physician assistants in the U.S. as of 2022 (<a href="https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/total-number-of-physician-assistants/?currentTimeframe=0&amp;selectedRows=%7B%22wrapups%22:%7B%22united-states%22:%7B%7D%7D%7D&amp;sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D" target="_blank">KFF</a>). The career continues to grow, with expected growth in demand for PAs of 31% over the next decade (<a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physician-assistants.htm" target="_blank">BLS</a>). There’s no question that it’s a great career. Physician assistant was ranked No. 2 in Best Health Care Jobs and No. 3 in 100 Best Jobs by <a href="https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/best-healthcare-jobs" target="_blank">U.S. News &amp; World Report</a> for 2022.</p>

<p style="margin: 0 0 16px;">Nationwide, physician assistants serve in clinical and non-clinical roles in various facility types and across all specialties and subspecialties. The versatility of the career is hard to beat.</p>

<p>Here, we’ll explore several routes you can pursue as a physician assistant through various:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Clinical roles</li>
	<li>Non-clinical roles</li>
	<li>Work environments</li>
	<li>Career scheduling options</li>
</ul>

<h2>Physician Assistant Clinical Roles</h2>

<p>Physician assistants have opportunities to practice across all fields of medicine – from general to highly specific. Plus, PAs can pursue certificates from various organizations in many of these specialties. Physician assistant specialty certifications include:</p>

<ul style="margin: 0 0 16px;">
	<li>Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery CAQ</li>
	<li>Emergency Medicine CAQ</li>
	<li>Hospital Medicine CAQ</li>
	<li>Nephrology CAQ</li>
	<li>Orthopaedic Surgery CAQ</li>
	<li>Pediatrics CAQ</li>
	<li>Psychiatry CAQ</li>
</ul>

<p style="margin: 0 0 16px;">For more information on pursuing the PA certificate and specialty certifications above, PAs can visit the various certifying organizations:</p>

<ul style="margin: 0 0 16px;">
	<li><a href="https://www.arc-pa.org/" target="_blank">Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA)</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.aapa.org/" target="_blank">American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.nccpa.net/" target="_blank">National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://paeaonline.org/" target="_blank">Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA)</a></li>
</ul>

<p>In addition to the specialties above, other clinical areas physician assistants can consider are:</p>

<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm-12 col-xs-12 col-md-4 col-lg-4">
<ul>
	<li>Acute care</li>
	<li>Allergy immunology</li>
	<li>Cardiology</li>
	<li>Critical care medicine</li>
	<li>Dermatology</li>
	<li>Endocrinology</li>
	<li>Family medicine</li>
	<li>Gastroenterology</li>
	<li>Gerontology</li>
	<li>Hematology</li>
</ul>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-12 col-xs-12 col-md-4 col-lg-4">
<ul>
	<li>Hospitalist medicine</li>
	<li>Infectious disease</li>
	<li>Neonatology</li>
	<li>Nephrology</li>
	<li>Neurology</li>
	<li>Obstetrics and gynecology</li>
	<li>Oncology</li>
	<li>Ophthalmology</li>
	<li>Pain medicine</li>
	<li>Pathology</li>
</ul>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-12 col-xs-12 col-md-4 col-lg-4">
<ul>
	<li>Primary care</li>
	<li>Public health</li>
	<li>Pulmonology</li>
	<li>Rheumatology</li>
	<li>School nursing</li>
	<li>Sleep medicine</li>
	<li>Sports medicine</li>
	<li>Transplant medicine</li>
	<li>Trauma medicine</li>
	<li>Urology</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>

<h2>Physician Assistant Non-Clinical Roles</h2>

<p>Physician assistants aren’t bound to clinical roles and patient care. If PAs need to make a change to avoid burnout or mix things up a bit, they can get creative and pursue non-clinical opportunities like (AAPA):</p>

<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm-12 col-xs-12 col-md-6 col-lg-6">
<ul>
	<li>Academics</li>
	<li>Expert witness</li>
	<li>Government and policy</li>
	<li>Hospital administration</li>
	<li>Insurance</li>
	<li>Legal medicine</li>
</ul>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-12 col-xs-12 col-md-4 col-lg-4">
<ul>
	<li>Media</li>
	<li>Medical informatics</li>
	<li>Medical writing</li>
	<li>Research</li>
	<li>Organizational leadership</li>
	<li>Wellness coaching</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>

<h2>Physician Assistant Work Environments</h2>

<p>Although physician assistants may envision themselves working in hospitals and traditional healthcare facilities, PAs can actually practice in all types of environments. As a PA, you may find yourself working at an:</p>

<div class="row">
  <div class="col-sm-12 col-xs-12 col-md-6 col-lg-6">
    <ul>
	<li>Academic research center</li>
	<li>Acute care clinic</li>
	<li>Ambulatory surgery center</li>
	<li>Ambulatory/transport care</li>
	<li>Cancer center</li>
	<li>College/university campus clinic</li>
	<li>Laboratory</li>
	<li>Inpatient hospital</li>
	<li>Government (VA, HIS, DOD, military)</li>
	<li>Home health</li>
	<li>Hospice/palliative care center</li>
  </ul>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-12 col-xs-12 col-md-6 col-lg-6">
  <ul>
	<li>Otolaryngology</li>
	<li>Outpatient clinic</li>
	<li>Private practice</li>
	<li>Psychiatric facility</li>
	<li>Public or private schools</li>
	<li>Rehabilitation Center</li>
	<li>Skilled nursing facility</li>
	<li>Substance abuse center</li>
	<li>Telemedicine</li>
	<li>Trauma center</li>
   </ul>
  </div>
</div>

<h2>Career Options for Physician Assistants</h2>

<p> Physician assistants aren’t locked into permanent, salaried, full-time positions, though that may appeal to some. Consider the many options you can choose from to help find a schedule and work-life balance that suits your lifestyle:</p>

<ul style="margin: 0 0 16px;">
	<li>Full-time or part-time</li>
	<li>Day shift, night shift, or weekends</li>
	<li>Salaried, permanent position or hourly, locum tenens assignments</li>
	<li>Nearby work or travel opportunities</li>
</ul>

<p style="margin: 0 0 16px;">Which of the roles above can you envision yourself in? What work environments would bring you the most reward and joy? Do you see yourself working part-time or full-time? Working near home or traveling the country? Consider the many possibilities and picture yourself in each scenario to find your ideal match.</p>

<p>We’re here to help find the very best <a href="https://www.crosscountrylocums.com/job-search" target="_blank">physician assistant position</a> for you!</p>
</div>

Physician Assistant Career Options: A Top-Ranked Job with Outstanding Prospects!