Physician Assistants (PA’s) work similar to doctors. A PA will see you when you are sick. They can order tests and x-rays. They can perform minor surgeries and they can even write prescriptions. It takes a Medical Doctor 8 years of schooling AFTER High School and another 4-6 years of specialized training before they are able to work on their own in that specialty. (That’s 24 years of school!) Because a Physician Assistant works with a Doctor, they only need 6 years of schooling after High School and need to pass a final exam to become licensed. A PA can work in any medical specialty such as Family Practice, Pediatrics (Doctors for kids), Surgery and even the Emergency Department just to name a few. Physician Assistants are in high demand, meaning that there are a lot of jobs for them! The average income for a PA in California is approximately $115,000 per year! Many PA’s make even more than that!
