What does a Clinical Physician Assistant do?
A clinical physician assistant is in charge of performing support tasks in clinics, hospitals, and similar establishments. Typically serving as the patients' first point of contact, it is their responsibility to gather the personal and medical information of patients, identify their needs, answer inquiries, and escort them to offices and other rooms. They may also perform clerical tasks such as answering calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, preparing and filing documentation, and coordinating with other offices. Moreover, a clinical physician assistant must maintain an active communication line with physicians and nurses, assisting them as needed.
Clinical physician assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real clinical physician assistant resumes:
- Implement and manage cardiology internship college course.
- Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
- Complete nursing assessments, complete care plans, perform ADL's, utilize lifts, alarms and transfer patients safely.
- Care for multiple patients in a fast pace setting and provide total care including all treatments, medications and ADL's.
- Perform tracheostomy care and suctioning for ventilator dependent patients.
- Provide physical therapy services in the inpatient rehabilitation unit and oncology floor.
- Preform CPR and assist with ER procedures.
- Preform incision and drainage, suture lacerations, CPR and splint application.
- Assist with lumbar punctures, chest tube and PleurX catheter placement, and orthopedic dislocation reductions.
- Conduct surgical clinic, daily rounds, dressing changes, answer surgical ER calls, and develop suturing techniques.
- Gain experience in tracheostomy suctioning.
- Provide full service practice in obstetrics and gynecology.
- Participate in in-office procedures such as excisions and suturing.
- Administer postpartum medications and assist in treatment for postpartum hemorrhage.
- Administer intramuscular medications, intravenous fluids and medications; counsele patients on appropriate use.
Clinical physician assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 30% of Clinical Physician Assistants are proficient in Patients, Primary Care, and Medical Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Problem-solving skills, Communication skills, and Compassion.
We break down the percentage of Clinical Physician Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 30%
Administered intramuscular medications, intravenous fluids and medications; counseled patients on appropriate use.
- Primary Care, 6%
Provide primary care & gynecological services to adolescents and young adults in a residential facility
- Medical Care, 6%
Provided primary medical care in a large family practice system.
- Family Medicine, 5%
Recruited to administer quality patient care in outpatient family practice specializing in family medicine and chronic disease management.
- Urgent Care, 5%
Performed urgent care, chronic care, physical examinations, and medication management for inmates awaiting trial or serving short sentences.
- Diagnostic Tests, 4%
Reviewed and interpreted all laboratory other diagnostic test data.
"patients," "primary care," and "medical care" are among the most common skills that clinical physician assistants use at work. You can find even more clinical physician assistant responsibilities below, including:
Problem-solving skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a clinical physician assistant to have is problem-solving skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "physician assistants need to evaluate patients’ symptoms and administer the appropriate treatments." Clinical physician assistants often use problem-solving skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "set up contrast solution automated injection mechanism and put up iv lines for administration of contrast when required for imaging. "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling clinical physician assistant duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "physician assistants must explain complex medical issues in a way that patients can understand." According to a clinical physician assistant resume, here's how clinical physician assistants can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "ensured effective communication and information exchange with staff at clinical trials units. "
Compassion. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of clinical physician assistants is compassion. This skill is critical to many everyday clinical physician assistant duties, as "physician assistants deal with patients who are sick or injured and who may be in extreme pain or distress." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "recognized by patients for compassionate care and accessibility. "
Detail oriented. For certain clinical physician assistant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "detail oriented." The day-to-day duties of a clinical physician assistant rely on this skill, as "physician assistants should be observant and have a strong ability to focus when evaluating and treating patients." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what clinical physician assistants do: "performed detailed patient histories and complete physical examinations, ordered medications, ordered pertinent laboratory, diagnostic, and radiological studies. "
Emotional stability. Another crucial skill for a clinical physician assistant to carry out their responsibilities is "emotional stability." A big part of what clinical physician assistants relies on this skill, since "physician assistants, particularly those working in surgery or emergency medicine, should work well under pressure." How this skill relates to clinical physician assistant duties can be seen in an example from a clinical physician assistant resume snippet: "evaluated patients with cognitive and emotional deficiencies. "
The three companies that hire the most clinical physician assistants are:
- Northern Arizona Healthcare Corporation12 clinical physician assistants jobs
- PeaceHealth12 clinical physician assistants jobs
- Mayo Clinic12 clinical physician assistants jobs
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Compare different clinical physician assistants
Clinical physician assistant vs. Staff nurse
Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between clinical physician assistants and staff nurse. For instance, clinical physician assistant responsibilities require skills such as "family medicine," "urgent care," "diagnostic tests," and "physical exams." Whereas a staff nurse is skilled in "bls," "cpr," "acls," and "patient safety." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Staff nurses tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $58,739. In contrast, clinical physician assistants make the biggest average salary, $178,316, in the non profits industry.On average, staff nurses reach lower levels of education than clinical physician assistants. Staff nurses are 18.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 8.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Clinical physician assistant vs. Registered nurse
The primary responsibilities of a registered nurse involve caring for a variety of patients, from ill and injured to those who are healthy and wanting to stay that way. Nurses have different specialization and work with particular patients, such as newborn babies or those who are suffering from particular medical conditions. They work on different settings which includes hospital, outpatient facility, rehabilitation center, nursing home, dialysis center, home healthcare agency, and other offices. They can administer medications, wound care, and other aids or treatment plan. They also conduct medical tests, interpret the results, and monitor patients' recovery and progress.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that clinical physician assistant responsibilities requires skills like "family medicine," "urgent care," "physical exams," and "internal medicine." But a registered nurse might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "bls," "cpr," "acls," and "surgery."
On average, registered nurses earn a lower salary than clinical physician assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, registered nurses earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $64,500. Whereas clinical physician assistants have higher pay in the non profits industry, with an average salary of $178,316.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Registered nurses tend to reach lower levels of education than clinical physician assistants. In fact, they're 19.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 8.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Clinical physician assistant vs. Registered nurse charge nurse
A registered charge nurse is responsible for supervising nurses' workflow in a particular department or area, ensuring every patient gets the proper care that they need. A registered charge nurse has the discretion to direct tasks, arrange schedules, and monitor patients, such as in the aspects of admission and discharge. Furthermore, a registered charge nurse must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among nurses, physicians, and other personnel involved as the conditions in a hospital can be unpredictable.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a clinical physician assistant is likely to be skilled in "family medicine," "urgent care," "physical exams," and "internal medicine," while a typical registered nurse charge nurse is skilled in "bls," "cpr," "acls," and "resident care."
Registered nurses charge nurses earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $68,929. Clinical physician assistants earn the highest pay from the non profits industry, with an average salary of $178,316.Most registered nurses charge nurses achieve a lower degree level compared to clinical physician assistants. For example, they're 18.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 8.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Clinical physician assistant vs. Operating room nurse
An Operating Room Nurse assists surgeons during operations and keeps the operating room sterile at all times. They ensure that patients are ready for transport to the recovery room.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between clinical physician assistants and operating room nurses, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a clinical physician assistant might have more use for skills like "primary care," "medical care," "family medicine," and "urgent care." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of operating room nurses require skills like "bls," "acls," "pacu," and "pre-op. "
Operating room nurses enjoy the best pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $78,495. For comparison, clinical physician assistants earn the highest salary in the non profits industry.The average resume of operating room nurses showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to clinical physician assistants. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 18.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 8.9%.Types of clinical physician assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
