Editing Physician assistant (section)

==== Employment (US) ====

The first employer of PAs was the then-Veterans Administration, known today as the [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|Department of Veterans Affairs]]. Today it is the largest single employer of PAs, employing nearly 2,000.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

According to the AAPA, as of 2020 there are more than 148,560 certified PAs in the United States, up from 115,547 in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statistical Profile of Certified PAs - Annual Report 2020 |url=https://www.nccpa.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Statistical-Profile-of-Certified-PAs-2020.pdf |website=NCCPA.net |access-date=18 September 2021}}</ref>

''Money'' magazine, in conjunction with Salary.com, listed the PA profession as the "fifth best job in America" in May 2006, based both on salary and job prospects, and on an anticipated 10-year job growth of 49.65%.<ref>{{cite web|title=50 Best Jobs in America - May 1, 2006|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/2006/05/01/8375749/index.htm|access-date=5 February 2019|website=Money.cnn.com}}</ref> In 2010, CNN Money rated the physician assistant career as the number two best job in America.<ref>{{cite web|title=Physician Assistant ranked No. 2|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/snapshots/2.html|access-date=5 February 2019|website=Money.cnn.com}}</ref>
In 2012, Forbes rated the physician assistant degree as the number one master's degree for jobs.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Jacquelyn|date=8 June 2012|title=The Best And Worst Master's Degrees For Jobs|work=Forbes|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/06/08/the-best-and-worst-masters-degrees-for-jobs-2/|access-date=19 February 2017}}</ref>
In 2015, Glassdoor rated physician assistant as the number one best job in America.<ref>{{Cite web|title=25 Best Jobs in America for 2015 &#124; Glassdoor Blog|url=http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/jobs-america/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128202233/http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/jobs-america/|archive-date=2015-01-28}}</ref>
In 2021, U.S. News & World Report rated physician assistant as the number one best job in America.<ref>{{cite web |title=2021's 100 Best Jobs in America - US News Rankings |url=https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs |website=money.usnews.com |access-date=18 September 2021}}</ref>

The US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics report on PAs states, "...Employment of physician assistants is projected to grow 37 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations..."<ref>{{cite web|date=19 July 1997|title=Physician Assistants|url=http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos081.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970719214236/http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos081.htm|archive-date=19 July 1997|access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref> This is due to several factors, including an expanding health care industry, an aging [[baby boomer|baby-boomer]] population, concerns for cost containment, and newly implemented restrictions to shorten physician [[Residency (medicine)|resident]] work hours.

In the 2008 AAPA census, 56 percent of responding PAs worked in physicians' offices or clinics and 24 percent were employed by [[hospital]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=2008 AAPA Physician Assistant Census Report|url=http://www.aapa.org/research/Highlights08/2008AAPACensusNationalReport.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325055738/http://www.aapa.org/research/Highlights08/2008AAPACensusNationalReport.pdf|archive-date=2009-03-25|access-date=5 February 2019|website=Aapa.org|page=2}}</ref> The remainder were employed in [[public health]] clinics, nursing homes, schools, prisons, home [[health care]] agencies, and the [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs]]<ref>which also was the first employer of PAs. Mr. Vic Germino one of the first three graduates was employed by the VA and he remained with the VA for over 25 years.l [http://www.aapa.org/research/Highlights08/2008AAPACensusNationalReport.pdf 2008 AAPA Physician Assistant Census Report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325055738/http://www.aapa.org/research/Highlights08/2008AAPACensusNationalReport.pdf|date=2009-03-25}} Table 3.4: Number and Percent Distribution of Clinically Practicing Respondents by Primary Work Setting</ref> Fifteen percent of responding PAs work in counties classified as non-metropolitan by Economic Research Service of the [[United States Department of Agriculture]];<ref>[http://www.aapa.org/research/Highlights08/2008AAPACensusNationalReport.pdf 2008 AAPA Physician Assistant Census Report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325055738/http://www.aapa.org/research/Highlights08/2008AAPACensusNationalReport.pdf|date=2009-03-25}} Table 3.13: Number and Percent Distribution of Clinically Practicing Respondents by Metropolitan Status and Degree of Rurality of County of Primary Work Site</ref> approximately 17% of the US population resides in these [[County (United States)|counties]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=USDA ERS - Rural-Urban Continuum Codes|url=https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/rural-urban-continuum-codes.aspx|access-date=2019-02-05|website=Ers.usda.gov}}</ref>

For PAs in primary care practice, [[malpractice]] insurance policies with $100,000–300,000 in coverage can cost less than $600 per year; premiums are higher for PAs in higher-risk specialties.<ref>{{cite web|title="Malpractice Consult: Liability insurance for a physician assistant" - Modern Medicine|url=http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/memag/Medical+Malpractice:+Insurance/Malpractice-Consult-Liability-insurance-for-a-phys/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/118626|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528191605/http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/memag/Medical+Malpractice:+Insurance/Malpractice-Consult-Liability-insurance-for-a-phys/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/118626|archive-date=28 May 2008|access-date=5 February 2019|website=Medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com}}</ref>