A PA, short for physician assistant (now also called physician associate in some states), is a licensed medical professional who diagnoses illnesses, treats patients, and prescribes medications. PAs are not doctors, but they work closely with physicians and handle many of the same clinical tasks you’d expect from a doctor’s visit. If you’ve seen a “PA” listed after a provider’s name on your appointment confirmation, you received care from one of these practitioners.
What PAs Actually Do
PAs examine patients, order and interpret lab tests and imaging, diagnose conditions, create treatment plans, and assist in surgery. In a typical office visit, a PA might listen to your symptoms, run through a physical exam, decide what tests you need, and prescribe medication, all without a doctor walking into the room. The experience from a patient’s perspective often looks identical to seeing a physician.
The key legal distinction is that PAs practice medicine under a relationship with a supervising or collaborating physician. In 47 states, the specific scope of what a PA can do is determined at the practice level between the PA and their supervising physician. A PA working in an orthopedic office, for example, would handle orthopedic issues consistent with that practice. The supervising physician doesn’t need to be physically present for every patient interaction, but they maintain ultimate responsibility for coordinating care and ensuring quality.
Prescribing Medications
PAs can prescribe medications in all 50 states, including most controlled substances. The specifics vary by state. A few states, including Georgia and Texas, restrict PAs from prescribing the most tightly regulated painkillers and stimulants (Schedule II drugs) but allow everything else. Several other states cap Schedule II prescriptions at a 7- or 30-day supply. Some states require PAs to complete additional training in controlled substance prescribing before they’re authorized to write those prescriptions.
A handful of states also maintain restricted formularies that limit what PAs can prescribe in specific categories. Florida, for instance, doesn’t allow PAs to prescribe general anesthetics or psychiatric medications for patients under 18. For the vast majority of everyday prescriptions, though, antibiotics, blood pressure medications, inhalers, and similar drugs, a PA has the same prescribing capability as a physician.
Education and Training
Becoming a PA requires a master’s degree from an accredited PA program, which typically takes about 27 months to complete. Before even applying, most programs require between 1,000 and 4,000 hours of direct patient healthcare experience. This means many PA students have already worked as EMTs, medical assistants, nurses, or in other hands-on clinical roles before starting their graduate training.
PA programs follow a medical school model: the first year is classroom-based, covering anatomy, pharmacology, pathology, and clinical medicine. The second year consists of supervised clinical rotations across specialties like family medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and psychiatry. After graduation, PAs must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam to become board certified. They then complete 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and pass a recertification exam every 10 years to maintain their credentials.
PA vs. Doctor: The Practical Differences
Physicians complete four years of medical school followed by three to seven years of residency training, depending on their specialty. PAs complete a shorter, more generalized training path. This difference matters most in complex or highly specialized situations, where a physician’s deeper training in a specific field becomes relevant. For routine care, managing chronic conditions, treating common injuries, and handling straightforward acute illnesses, PAs deliver comparable care.
One practical difference you may notice: PAs can switch specialties without completing a new residency. A PA working in cardiology can transition to dermatology with on-the-job training and additional continuing education. Physicians, by contrast, are locked into their specialty by their residency training. This flexibility is one reason PAs are increasingly common across healthcare settings, from primary care clinics and urgent care centers to operating rooms and emergency departments.
The Title Change: Assistant to Associate
In 2021, the American Academy of PAs voted to change the profession’s official title from “physician assistant” to “physician associate,” arguing that the word “assistant” doesn’t accurately reflect the independent clinical work PAs perform. So far, three states (Oregon, Maine, and New Hampshire) have enacted legislation officially adopting the new title. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants treats “physician assistant,” “physician associate,” and “PA” as interchangeable for certification purposes. You’ll likely see both terms used for years as the change rolls out state by state.
Job Growth and Salary
The PA profession is one of the fastest-growing in healthcare. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 20 percent employment growth from 2024 to 2034, far outpacing the average for all occupations. The median annual salary for PAs was $133,260 as of May 2024. Demand is driven largely by physician shortages, an aging population, and the cost-effectiveness of PAs in expanding access to care across underserved areas and overburdened specialties.