Careers, task by task
Physician assistant
Examining, diagnosing and treating patients on a team, with the option to move between specialties.
- Training
- College, then a master's degree
- Today's median pay, May 2025
- $135,880
- Projected job growth, 2025 to 2035
- 21%
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Last modified August 27, 2026
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Physician Assistants
Scope: United States.
How it was done: Federal employment and wage statistics. Pay is the May 2025 median, half earn more and half earn less. Growth is a 2025 to 2035 projection.
Limits: A median across all ages, regions and employers, before tax. A projection, not a promise. It tells you nothing about one person's income.
Checked against the original on November 6, 2026.
Open the source (opens in a new tab)A snapshot of people practicing today, not a forecast of your income.
The work, and what we can verify about AI in it
Task lists are our editorial summary of what the role involves. They vary by setting. The status describes the evidence we've checked, not whether a job is safe.
Taking histories and examining patients
Judgment and accountability
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Ordering and interpreting tests
Information work
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Diagnosing and prescribing
Judgment and accountability
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Setting fractures and closing wounds
Hands-on work
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Teaching patients and families
Human relationship
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Writing notes and charting
Information work
In real use today
- Established now
AI scribes saw the broadest adoption of any clinical AI category in 2025, reaching 63% of hospitals using Epic's record system. A prospective Stanford study of 48 physicians found a median 20 minutes saved per half day of clinic.
What this does not prove: Measured mostly among physicians, so results for physician assistants may differ. Hospital systems reported many of these results themselves.
Stanford HAI, 2026
The 2026 AI Index Report, Chapter 6: Medicine
Scope: Global research, with U.S. data on FDA authorizations.
How it was done: An annual review that summarizes studies by other researchers.
Limits: A summary of studies with different designs. Each headline figure comes from one setup and does not generalize on its own.
Checked against the original on November 6, 2026.
Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Skills that transfer
- Clinical reasoning
- Moving across specialties
- Procedures
- Communication
What nobody has measured
- Whether AI support widens what these roles do, or lets fewer clinicians cover more patients.
- Verified program costs, compared with the income they lead to.
Read next
Sources last checked November 6, 2026
Next review by February 6, 2027.
What changed, and how we decideCareer guidance, not medical, legal or financial advice. For a major loan or licensing decision, talk with a qualified professional, and bring your questions from here.
Do you disagree?
If you have counterevidence, or we got something wrong, we want to see it. Don't take our word for any of this.
Send us the evidence