If you were to take a job as a physician assistant, what could you expect to earn? All students in training want to know how much money they stand to make in the future, and it is no different for those studying to become physician assistants. Many see physician assistant positions as a great way to enter the medical field, but these jobs offer so much more. A physician assistant has far more earning power than those working in many other sections of the healthcare field. The reason for this can be traced back to a number of reasons. For example, physician assistants take care of many of the same duties and tasks that regular doctors do. Because of this, they are continually in great demand across many different healthcare facilities. Most healthcare workers cannot do half of the tasks a physician assistant will do every single day.
While physician assistants can expect to earn more than nurse’s assistants and other lower ranking healthcare workers, the salary ranges are not the same everywhere. There are many factors that can come into play when determining salaries for a specific position. The factors that must be reviewed in terms of how much students can earn as physician assistants are really quite straightforward. What follows is an analysis of what those who are considering a future as physician assistants can reasonably expect to make with this career decision. While it is important to go over the expected earnings for a physician assistant, remember that the rewards of this job stretch far beyond the pay.
Based upon additional factors that are going to be discussed in further detail below, how much a physician assistant can earn is between $50,000 and $80,000 each year. There are, of course, going to be cases where a physician assistant pulls in a little bit less or a little bit more than this range. Indeed.com has come up with this salary range and it tends to be spot on with what physician assistants are experiencing in the job market today. Do you think you could live comfortably on the salary of a physician assistant?Read on to find out.
Specialization – The more specialized your knowledge and work experience, the more you can expect to earn in your salary. An example would be the physician assistant who earns substantially more because they are heavily specialized in oncology. For those with heavy specializations in fields that have a heavy demand for knowledgeable, talented assistants, it is not hard to imagine a scenario where they can literally ask for whatever they want in terms of salary.
Geography – Those physician assistants who work in areas that are rural are not going to be earning as much money as those physician assistants who are employed in urban areas that have a higher cost of living. Students are always reminded to choose between different locations according to the salary they expect to make once employed. It is possible to get high paying jobs as a physician assistant in a rural area, just as some do find low paying positions in the big cities, so nothing is absolute.
If some students get confused about how much they can make in this field, they are often stumbling to understand these factors fully. Some of the things that impact the earnings of a person in this occupation are geography, experience and specialization. With fifty thousand dollars being the lower end of the pay scale for the field, you have to admit that even that is a great paycheck by the standards of most people. You have to consider that before you get caught up in trying to find the highest paying position possible.
So the big question is how much do physician assistants make? One of the best resources for this type of knowledge is the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures collected from 2008 state that physician assistants earned an average salary of $81,230 per year. On average, it is estimated that currently employed physician assistants earn between $68.210 and $97,070 a year. To get more specific, those with the lowest ten percent of salary make about $51,000 a year, while those in the highest ten percent make about $110,000 a year.
Consider a quick list of average physician assistant salaries for those working in different environments:
Public Hospitals: $84,500
Educational Centers: $74,200
Government Offices: $78,200
Physician Offices and Clinics: $80,440
Outpatient Centers and Clinics: $84,390
How much do physician assistants make? You have to also consider other factors, such as how many hours a particular physician assistant is contracted to work. The average yearly salary estimated for full time physician assistants in 2008 was $85,710, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Physician assistants who work at an entry-level position make around $74,470.
Many physician assistants expect their fees for licensing and insurance to be paid as a part of their salary as well.
It is estimated that physician assistants working full time in clinics will earn about $85,000 a year. First-year graduates made an average, yearly income of $74,470. These figures come from a publication from 2008 put out by the American Academy of Physician Assistants. All of the factors of salary must be kept in mind, so your particular qualifications put your salary somewhere different than these projections. Employers of physician assistants frequently pay for their credentialing fees, registration fees with the DEA, professional liability insurance and state licensing fees.
The allowed time off for illness and vacation should also be considered. Some choose early retirement at age 50, but most will keep working until 65 so that they can get even more money as part of their benefits when they retire.
How much do physician assistants make? You will want to refer back to this guide in the future, so keep it on hand. It can be simplified by saying that most physician assistants make between fifty and eighty thousand dollars in yearly salary, plus fees. Just remember that many do fall outside of this generalized range, either earning more or less.
Hopefully you have a clear idea of How much do physician assistants make and realize how lucrative this career can be. For more information, please visit: Physician Assistant Salary
