Physician Assistant vs. Medical Assistant: A Comprehensive Comparison

Health care work environments are dynamic, fast-growing, and have passion-driven professionals ready to help and assist patients.

There are two career paths that sound similar to each other and are both based on working in collaboration with or under the supervision of physicians: medical assistants and physician assistants.

Before choosing a single path to pursue, it is important to compare, analyze and understand the duties, responsibilities, and educational requirements of both PAs and MAs.

We’ll use fact-proven and official resources from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine the main differences between a medical assistant vs. physician assistant. 

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Medical Assistant vs. Physician Assistant: Quick Summary

Physician assistants have a larger scope of practice and earn more compared to medical assistants, but require a higher level of education, such as a master's degree. In contrast, medical assistants require less schooling and primarily handle administrative and clinical tasks, working under or in collaboration with physicians. 

Medical Assistant vs. Physician Assistant: Definition and Overview

A medical assistant is a healthcare professional who works under the direct supervision of physicians and other professionals in the healthcare industry.

Medical assistants perform both administrative and clinical tasks, and their job duties are completely based on the directions specified by physicians.

A physician assistant is a licensed healthcare professional who works collaboratively with physicians in many of the tasks performed by doctors in the medical field.

Physician assistants must complete meticulous education in order to perform patient care and clinical tasks, such as performing patient examinations, interpreting diagnostic tests, and more. 

The typical entry-level education to become a physician assistant is a master’s degree, whereas most medical assistants just have to obtain a postsecondary nondegree award to start medical assisting. 

Therefore, it is important to understand the educational and preparational requirements of both medical assistants and physician assistants to comprehend the differences between them.

Medical Assistant vs. Physician Assistant: Task and Responsibilities

The scope of responsibilities of medical assistants depends on their job environment and location. For instance, some states will prevent medical assistants from giving injections, 

According to the BLS, medical assistants are suited to complete administrative and clinical tasks based on the requirements of their work environment.

Overall, medical assistant responsibilities are more driven towards simple instructions by a medical doctor. This includes clinical duties such as recording patient history, treating patient’s injury, measuring vital signs, and other medical assisting tasks.

Nonetheless, clinical and administrative duties are also part of their job, such as scheduling patient appointments, bureaucratic labor inside a medical office, updating medical records, and more.

On the other hand, the job duties of physician assistants are less focused on administrative tasks, and they are required to perform medical practice alongside other healthcare professionals.

Physician assistants participate in clinical medicine tasks with physicians, surgeons, and other medical practitioners, and although physician assistant duties vary based on their work setting, they are usually very well-established.

Medical Assistant vs. Physician Assistant: Work Environment

According to the BLS, there were over 139,000 physician assistant jobs in 2021. There are five crucial pieces of information that help us understand the work environment of PAs:

1. More than half of physician assistants work in medical offices of physicians.
2. 23 percent of physician assistants work in private, public, and state medical clinics and hospital facilities.
3. 10 percent of physician assistants work in outpatient care centers.
4. Just 4 percent of PAs work in educational services, and 2 percent of PAs work in government facilities.
5. Most physician assistants work full-time in different shifts based on clinical rotations. They must be available during weekends, nights, and holidays if required by the employer. 

BLS Statistics show that there were over 743,000 medical assistant jobs in 2021, more than five times that of physician assistants. These are the work environment factors that we should get to know:

1. 58 percent of medical assistants work in offices of physicians.
2. 15 percent of MAs work in private, public, or state hospitals.
3. 9 percent of MAs work in outpatient care centers.
4. Only 4 percent of medical assistants work in the offices of chiropractors and other medical facilities.
5. Most medical assistants work full-time in standard 40-hour weekly shifts. Unlike PAs, most MAs are not required to always work during weekends, holidays, or nights.

Industries with the Highest Levels of Employment for Medical and Physician Assistants

As we can see here, physician vs. medical assistant responsibilities and work environments, although similar, also have their differences.

So, where can PAs and medical assistants work? These are the industries with the highest levels of employment for the medical assistant and physician assistant job/career path.

Physician Assistant vs. Medical Assistant: Skills

There’s a series of skills and important qualities that characterize medical assistants, such as the following:

• Analytical and technical skills: a medical assistant need to understand medical charts and learn how to handle and manage basic clinical instruments.
• Interpersonal skills: since most medical assistants work with patients, they must be able to discuss, interpret, and deliver patient information to physicians and other healthcare workers.
• Attention to detail: during the analysis of a patient's vital signs, blood pressure, and record of patient’s history, it’s imperative for medical assistants to be detail-oriented in order to avoid possible mistakes.

Furthermore, the qualities and skills of physician assistants, although similar, are more focused on medical ethics and interpersonal qualities:

• Compassion and communication skills: physician assistants must be able to explain complex medical issues with empathy and simplicity to both patients and physicians.
• Emotional stability: most PAs are required to work under pressure in emergency medicine environments. This requires a level of emotional stability to endure the challenges and scenarios that might present.
• Interpersonal skills: since 80 percent of PAs work in patient care / medical environments, it is necessary for them to learn how to communicate and deal with other individuals efficiently.
• Attention to detail: physician assistants need to be analytical, observant, and accurate in order to perform procedures efficiently.
• Problem-solving skills: complicated medical issues and unique medical field scenarios might appear in PA’s work settings - the professional must be diligent and capable of handling all possible outcomes.

Physician Assistant vs. Medical Assistant: Education

The educational and licensing requirements for PAs and MAs are highly different. While most states do not require medical assistants to be certified, physician assistants have to complete several years of education to be properly licensed. 

Let’s take a look at the requirements, certifications, and paths to follow to become a medical assistant or physician assistant.

How to Become a Certified Medical Assistant

Most certified medical assistants graduate from postsecondary education programs. Medical assistant programs take around 1 to 2 years to complete, and although there are no formal requirements for MAs in most states, employers prefer to hire certified medical assistants.

Since there aren’t license requirements for MAs, most of them learn their skills through on-the-job and supervised clinical training. 

Among the most popular and accredited medical assisting programs and certifications in the USA, we have the CMA from the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), the NCMA from the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT), and the CMAA from the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

How to Become a Physician Assistant

Let’s start by recognizing the fact that all states require physician assistants to be licensed. In order to become a physician assistant, they need a bachelor’s degree to apply for a master’s degree from an accredited physician assistant program.

Having a bachelor’s degree in a healthcare-related field is the starting point to take further PA Programs, which usually last two years.

This means that, on average, an aspiring physician assistant need study for 6 years: 4 years to get a bachelor’s degree and 2 years to complete a master's accredited educational program.

In some states, laws require physician assistants to hold an agreement with a supervising physician. After graduating from a valid PA Program, PAs must take and complete the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (NCCPA) to be able to use the credential “Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C).”

The BLS also says that some PA positions may require basic life support (BLS) certification.

Medical Assistants vs. Physician Assistants: Salary

The median annual wage for MAs was established as $37,190 back in 2021 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Medical assistants working in outpatient care centers have a median annual wage of $38,270, whereas MAs who work at hospitals and offices of physicians earn around $37,000 per year.

Lastly, a medical assistant working in the office of a chiropractor might earn around $30,100 per year on average.

The landscape is a lot different for physician assistant salaries. The median annual wage for physician assistants was $121,530 in 2021.

On average, PAs working in outpatient care centers earn around $128,430 per year. Median annual wages for PAs working in hospitals or offices of physicians range between $121,000 and $127,000.

Only the lowest 10 percent of PAs working in government or educational institutions earn $77,940 per year, which is way more than the maximum salaries in the industry for medical assistants. 

Top Paying States for Medical Assistants vs. Physician Assistants

The salary of both PAs and MAs heavily vary based on location (state), work industry, and experience.

This means that, although average salaries are standardized throughout the United States, medical and physician assistants will earn less or more money depending on the aforementioned factors.

The BLS collects information regarding the top-paying states for physician assistants and medical assistants.

These are the top-paying states for medical assistants based on annual mean wages:

1. Washington - $47,320.
2. Alaska - $46,300.
3. California - $44,700.
4. Massachusetts - $44,200. 

On the other hand, these are the top-paying states for physician assistants in the country:

1. Rhode Island - $146,880.
2. Alaska - $145,830.
3. Connecticut - $141,790.
4. New Jersey - $140,080.

Medical Assistant vs. Physician Assistant: Job Outlook

The physician assistant job outlook looks promising for those passionate about this career path. These are the most relevant pieces of information related to PAs Job Outlook in the years to come:

1. 12,700 openings for physician assistants are projected each year over the course of a decade.
2. The employment of PAs will grow 28 percent from 2021 to 2031.
3. The projected employment for physician assistants for 2033 is 177,500, which represents an increase of 38,400 if compared to 2021’s employment (139,100).

The medical assistant job outlook is also promising, according to employment projection programs of the BLS:

1. 123,000 openings for medical assistants are projected each year over the course of a decade.
2. The employment of MAs will grow 16 percent from 2021 to 2031.
3. Employment numbers for medical assistants in 2033 are expected to reach 861,300, which represents an increase of 117,800 if compared to 2021’s employment (743,500).

Differences and Similarities Between Medical Assistants and Physician Assistants

Official sources, data, statistics, and information from reputable sources support the differences and similarities between medical assistants and physician assistants. Let’s take a look at 5 vital points that summarize this comparison guide:

1. Physician assistants are more prepared, educated, and capable than medical assistants.
2. Medical assistants can opt to work in both administrative and clinical settings, whereas physician assistants are more suited to work in clinical/medical work environments. Only 4 percent of PAs work in non-medical settings (mainly educational institutions).
3. On average, physician assistants make triple the money than medical assistants (average annual mean wages of $121,000 vs. $37,000, respectively).
4. There are more job openings for medical assistants (743,000+) than for physician assistants (139,000+).
5. Both professions require you to work under the supervision of a certified and licensed physician. 

FAQ

Can Physician Assistants and Medical Assistants Work Together?

Yes, medical assistants, physician assistants, and other healthcare workers can work together, mostly inside healthcare facilities. They can both help to treat patients by following the instructions and indications of a certified physician.

Can a Physician Assistant Turn Into a Physician?

A physician assistant could indeed turn into a physician. However, they would need to complete a medical degree program and residency training, which takes several years. Likewise, it will be necessary to achieve the licensing and certification requirements for this career path from a starting point.