How To Become a Physician Assistant
What Is a PA?
A physician assistant (PA) is a licensed medical provider who can work in various medical specialties, caring for patients across the lifespan. These clinicians deliver healthcare services under the direction and supervision of a physician. Physician assistants can perform a wide range of patient care responsibilities, including prescribing medication, as PAs hold prescriptive authority in all 50 states and other jurisdictions.(See disclaimer 1)
PAs play an important role on a collaborative healthcare team, helping increase access to care for underserved communities. A PA can choose from a wide range of medical specialties, including family care, emergency medicine, general surgery and specialty surgery.(See disclaimer 1)
PAs surveyed who reported being satisfied with their career(See disclaimer 2)
What Does a Physician Assistant Do?
Physician assistants diagnose and treat patients of all ages across a range of clinical settings while working under the supervision of a physician. Their mission is to provide quality care that promotes health, manages chronic conditions, treats acute conditions and empowers patients to make informed healthcare decisions. Some of their specific job duties can vary, depending on practice authority and clinical practice area.
What does a physician assistant do on a daily basis? Some of their responsibilities include:
Assessing
Examining patients and assessing their health complaints
Diagnosing
Ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests
Planning
Developing or contributing to treatment plans
Prescribing
Prescribe medications to treat and manage conditions
Educating
Deliver patient education to ensure informed decision-making
What Experience and Education Does a PA Need?
When learning how to become a physician assistant, it’s important to keep in mind that there isn’t one universally applicable pathway. Some people may pursue a PA pathway immediately after high school, but it is also an option for those looking to pivot their career later. If you haven’t yet earned a bachelor’s degree and are thinking about becoming a PA, review physician assistant education requirements and select an undergraduate program that can enable you to meet the PA training program requirements.(See disclaimer 3)
High School Diploma
College Degrees
Clinical Experience
Professional Certifications
Best Degrees for Physician Assistants
Although there are no universal undergraduate degree requirements for aspiring physician assistants, an ideal educational path fulfills the prerequisites to apply for admission to an accredited PA training program. An example is a degree in the life sciences that includes both didactic coursework and hands-on lab experiences. A degree that focuses on science and math can prepare students to tackle the science-intensive curriculum of a PA program.(See disclaimer 3)
Bachelor’s degrees for future PAs may vary, but should generally cover topics such as:(See disclaimer 3)
Microbiology
General and organic chemistry
Biology
Medical terminology
Anatomy and physiology
Genetics
GCU Recommends These Degree Programs for a Physician Assistant
2 Matching Degrees
What Skills Does a PA Need?
To diagnose and treat diseases, physician assistants need a strong command of hard skills in healthcare. It’s also essential to have a blend of soft skills to enable smooth, productive interactions with patients, family caregivers and colleagues.(See disclaimer 5)
What is a PA’s most important skill? Some of the most essential include:
Patient assessment
Medical procedures
Clinical knowledge
Empathy
Communication
Problem-solving skills
Where Do Physician Assistants Work?
Healthcare professionals, such as physician assistants, are needed to provide patient care in a variety of settings.
Different work settings for PAs can include the following options:(See disclaimer 1)
Primary care
Many physician assistants work in primary care, such as family medicine, treating patients of all ages.
General and specialty surgery
General surgery involves a wide range of procedures, whereas specialty surgery practices focus on a specific area of care, such as orthopedic surgery.
Specialty practices
A PA can work in many different specialty practices, including dermatology, neurology and pediatrics.
Emergency medicine
PAs who work in emergency medicine triage and stabilize acute patients.
Education
Some experienced PAs may transition into teaching roles.
Non-clinical roles
Along with education, other non-clinical roles for PAs include research and administration.
Median annual salary of physician assistants as of May 2024(See disclaimer 6)
Projected job growth rate for PAs from 2024 through 2034(See disclaimer 7)
Advancement Opportunities for Physician Assistants
After gaining experience, some physician assistants may decide to pursue advancement in a specialty area, such as by seeking additional postgraduate education and specialty certification.(See disclaimer 8) Others may move into academia, research, administration or other non-clinical roles.(See disclaimer 1)
Explore More on Physician Assistants
Learn more about what you can expect if you decide to pursue this healthcare career pathway.
Discover what you can expect in a pre-physician assistant pathway, including the curriculum and hands-on learning opportunities.
Dive into the typical job responsibilities in a day in the life of a physician assistant.
Explore other career opportunities in the medical field, including roles in diagnostics, medical labs and more.
Prepare for the next stage of your healthcare career with GCU’s pre-physician assistant pathway and start building the foundation for applying to physician assistant programs.
- MedlinePlus. (n.d.). Physician Assistant Profession (PA). Retrieved February 2026.
- National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. (2024). Statistical Profile of Board-Certified Physician Assistants. Retrieved February 2026.
- American Academy of Physician Associates. (n.d.). Become a PA. Retrieved February 2026.
- Illinois Work Net Center. (n.d.). PA – Helpful High School Courses. Retrieved February 2026.
- Indeed Editorial Team. (2025, Dec. 11). Physician Assistant Skills: An Informative Guide for Job Seekers. Indeed. Retrieved February 2026.
- The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Physician Assistants, as of May 2024, retrieved February 2026. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as physician assistants, nor does it reflect the earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It is very unlikely that a median salary will reflect an entry-level salary. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc. against a pool of candidates.
- COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective August 2025, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Physician Assistants, retrieved February 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025, Aug. 28). How To Become a Physician Assistant. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved February 2026.