How To Become A Physician Assistant Student: What It Is and Career Path

What is a physician assistant student and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A Physician Assistant Student is a medicinal professional licensed to practice under a licensed physician's direction. As a Physician Assistant Student, you should make rounds, perform patient exams, diagnose illnesses, assist in surgery, and order and interpret laboratory tests and X-rays, prescribe medications and develop and manage treatment plans.

Typically, you need to possess a master's degree to become a Physician Assistant. However, it would be best to gain experience working or volunteering in a healthcare setting to secure a senior position.

The graduates who approach this field end up laying claim to annual earnings of $108,610. The current median pay for a Physician Assistant Student ranges from $97,853 to $112,260 in the U.S. However, this figure can vary significantly depending upon your experience and skills.

ScorePhysician Assistant StudentUS Average

Salary

8.6

Avg. Salary $139,236

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.9

Growth Rate 28%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.35%

Asian 11.28%

Black or African American 5.38%

Hispanic or Latino 11.79%

Unknown 3.77%

White 67.43%

Gender

female 69.18%

male 30.82%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress Level

9.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a physician assistant student

Explore physician assistant student education requirements

Most common physician assistant student degrees

Bachelor's

70.5 %

Master's

19.7 %

Associate

3.6 %

Start to develop specific physician assistant student skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	19.25%
Physical Exams	6.66%
Emergency Medicine	5.99%
Family Medicine	5.72%
Patient Care	5.21%

Complete relevant physician assistant student training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New physician assistant students learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a physician assistant student based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real physician assistant student resumes.

Research physician assistant student duties and responsibilities

Perform therapeutic procedures by administering injections and immunizations; suturing; managing wounds and infections.
Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
Obtain a detail medical and psychiatry history from each patient.
Train in current cardiology standards of care and appropriate medications.

Prepare your physician assistant student resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your physician assistant student resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a physician assistant student resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Physician Assistant Student Resume templates

Build a professional Physician Assistant Student resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Physician Assistant Student resume.

Apply for physician assistant student jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a physician assistant student job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

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