Physician assistant salary in Texas

A physician assistant is a medical expert that plans and provides care to a patient under the direct supervision of a physician. They carry out physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, interpret test results of patients, compile date and update patient records including the history of an examination done, provide information to patient when needed and also take part in surgery when necessary.

There are certain duties that a physician assistant can perform and it depends mainly on the type of training they receive. For example they will oversee the same patient that a physician sees however when tougher cases come in the physician will be the one to oversee the task.

In order to become a physician assistant you generally need to possess a bachelor’s degree and have four years of experience in the health care environment. However in Texas the requirement is slightly different as it is dependent on the PA program selected. Overall doing two years of college coursework in health sciences is required. The University of Texas Southwestern Medical center requires that students have biology, chemistry, college algebra, psychology and sociology, anatomy and physiology. In addition to classroom instructions, students are also required to participate in laboratory

There are many programs in Texas that cater to a physician assistant’s education namely: Baylor College of medicine in Houston, UTSW at Dallas, UT medical branch at Galveston, just to name a few. A physician assistant’s education is one that is ongoing. To be on top of their game they generally participate in a continuing medical program and are usually retested on their clinical skills on a regular basis.

Even though licensing is required by all the states where they are allowed to do their practice, PA certification is not required in Texas. To become certified one has to pass a national certifying examination after completing an accredited PA program usually administered by the National Commission on the Certification of PAs (NCCPA). They are generally required to recertify every six years and expected to complete 100 continuing medical education credit hours every two years.

The hours and place of work for a PA will vary depending on the type of work environment that they happen to be placed in. PAs in clinical settings administer health care to a myriad of patients and work approximately 40 hours per week. The same applies for PAs in inpatient settings. PAs generally work in family practice, general pediatrics, Obstetrics and gynecology, emergency and geriatric practices.

Based on the fact that they work under the supervision of a physician you will find that many PAs often work with a physician in places like private practices, in prisons, hospitals and health centers.

Salary for a Physician assistant in Texas will be dependent on the city in Texas that you choose to work as well as the type of specialty that you as the assistant choose. The overall salary for a newly graduated physician assistant is approximately $56, 290. The highest paid physician assistant are those that are in specialty areas, especially those found in surgical will have a much greater salary scale.