Career Explorer Healthcare (clinical)
Human edge, growing
Physician assistants
Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients. May, in some cases, prescribe medication. Must graduate from an accredited educational program for physician assistants.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 97% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +21.1% by 2035, much faster than average. The work leans on ethical judgement and emotional intelligence.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $135,880
- Job growth to 2035
- +21.1%
- Openings a year
- 11,500
- People doing it (2025)
- 169,000
- Usual route in
- Master's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Advise patients or clients on medical issues
- Analyze health or medical data
- Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Maintain health or medical records
- Administer emergency medical treatment
- Administer basic health care or medical treatments
What the work looks like
- Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
- Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.
- Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.
- Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.
- Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- More of these jobs, as physician assistants are increasingly employed in team-based models of care, taking on tasks previously performed by physicians.
Also known as: Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C), Family Practice Physician Assistant, Physician Assistant (PA), Physician's Assistant, Anesthesia Assistant, Anesthesia Technician (Anesthesia Tech), CAA (Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant), CAA (Certified Anesthesiology Assistant).
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.