How To Become A Hospitalist Physician Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a hospitalist physician assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A hospitalist physician assistant is a well-trained and highly-skilled medical professional who works under the supervision of a physician in the hospital. They evaluate and admit patients in the facility and assist surgeons during procedures in the operating room.

Their tasks include diagnosing patient conditions, prescribing medications, making rounds, conducting consultations, and performing physical examinations. They update the patients' medical records and assist in the preparation of paperwork such as discharge orders.

Pursuing a career as a hospitalist physician assistant requires a master's degree in physician assistant, medicine, or other healthcare-related fields. Candidates must also obtain their physician assistant certification and licensure. And to further sharpen their skills and gain significant exposure to the hospital setting, they must undergo a fellowship and specialization program, which may last for a year. People in this line of work practice flexibility and the capability to multitask. On average, the hospitalist physician assistant earns $96.29 an hour, which amounts to an annual salary of $200,287.

ScoreHospitalist Physician AssistantUS Average

Salary

8.7

Avg. Salary $142,373

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.9

Growth Rate 28%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.35%

Asian 11.39%

Black or African American 5.43%

Hispanic or Latino 11.90%

Unknown 3.78%

White 67.15%

Gender

female 66.80%

male 33.20%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress Level

9.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a hospitalist physician assistant

Explore hospitalist physician assistant education requirements

Most common hospitalist physician assistant degrees

Master's

41.4 %

Bachelor's

37.8 %

Certificate

7.2 %

Start to develop specific hospitalist physician assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	41.41%
Acls	6.26%
Acute Care	5.93%
Surgery	3.81%
Internal Medicine	3.19%

Complete relevant hospitalist physician assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New hospitalist physician assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a hospitalist physician assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real hospitalist physician assistant resumes.

Research hospitalist physician assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage preoperative orthopedic patients, patients in the post anesthesia care unit and postoperative patients.
Manage complex treatment regimens following diagnosis with medication alterations to improve overall morbidity and mortality.
Perform patient history and physicals, chronic illness maintenance, medication monitoring, routine health maintenance, lab and EKG interpretation
Cover ICU, Med-Surg, cardiology, oncology and general medicine floors.

Prepare your hospitalist physician assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your hospitalist physician assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a hospitalist physician assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Hospitalist Physician Assistant Resume templates

Build a professional Hospitalist Physician Assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Hospitalist Physician Assistant resume.

Apply for hospitalist physician assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a hospitalist physician assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average hospitalist physician assistant salary

The average Hospitalist Physician Assistant salary in the United States is $142,373 per year or $68 per hour. Hospitalist physician assistant salaries range between $83,000 and $242,000 per year.

Average Hospitalist Physician Assistant Salary

$142,373 Yearly

$68.45 hourly