What does an orthopaedic physician assistant do?
An orthopedic physician assistant is an assistant to an orthopedic physician, a trained healthcare professional who also works with an orthopedic surgeon in an operating room. The responsibilities of orthopedic physician assistants are limited compared to an orthopedic nurse practitioner and may perform patient examination and history, interpret diagnostic tests, and handle admissions and discharges. Orthopedic physician assistants are trained in orthopedic surgery thus specialized in the operating room, while orthopedic nurse practitioners are trained in general medicine.
Orthopaedic physician assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real orthopaedic physician assistant resumes:
- Manage care for post-operative patients.
- Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
- Order and asses lab work and diagnostic procedures including xrays, cat scans, and MRI's.
- Recommend and order surgery when indicate; assist staff with preoperative orders.
- Provide continuity of care for long-term surveillance of sarcoma patients during bi-monthly resident rotations.
- Work with pediatric populations, associate pediatric illness perform suturing orthopedic emergencies fracture care, reduction, splint and cast placement.
- Review and update guidelines for internal cardiac defibrillator (ICD) and pacemaker implantation.
Orthopaedic physician assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 25% of Orthopaedic Physician Assistants are proficient in Patients, Surgery, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Orthopaedic Physician Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 25%
Provided continuity of care for long-term surveillance of sarcoma patients during bi-monthly resident rotations.
- Surgery, 14%
Served as first assist in surgery including total joint replacements, tendon repair, Open Reduction Internal Fixation procedures.
- Patient Care, 13%
Assisted 12 physicians in all aspects of surgical and office related patient care.
- Diagnostic Tests, 5%
Assist with inpatient and outpatient consultations, H&Ps, diagnostic testing, and care plans.
- Medical Care, 4%
Provided individualize medical care to the large diabetic patient population of the DC Metro, Military Community.
- Sports Medicine, 4%
Provide evaluation, x-ray interpretation and treatment for all orthopaedic issues, while specializing in sports medicine.
Common skills that an orthopaedic physician assistant uses to do their job include "patients," "surgery," and "patient care." You can find details on the most important orthopaedic physician assistant responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for an orthopaedic physician assistant to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what orthopaedic physician assistants do because "physician assistants must explain complex medical issues in a way that patients can understand." Additionally, an orthopaedic physician assistant resume shows how orthopaedic physician assistants use communication skills: "managed over $300,000.00 dollars of medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and medical communication equipment. "
Compassion. Many orthopaedic physician assistant duties rely on compassion. "physician assistants deal with patients who are sick or injured and who may be in extreme pain or distress," so an orthopaedic physician assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways orthopaedic physician assistant responsibilities rely on compassion: "provide support, care, compassion and education to families and patients. "
Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of orthopaedic physician assistants is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday orthopaedic physician assistant duties, as "physician assistants should be observant and have a strong ability to focus when evaluating and treating patients." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "obtain detailed history and perform physical examinations. "
Emotional stability. A big part of what orthopaedic physician assistants do relies on "emotional stability." You can see how essential it is to orthopaedic physician assistant responsibilities because "physician assistants, particularly those working in surgery or emergency medicine, should work well under pressure." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical orthopaedic physician assistant tasks: "provide emotional support to patients during medical care. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for orthopaedic physician assistant responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of orthopaedic physician assistants all the time, as "physician assistants need to evaluate patients’ symptoms and administer the appropriate treatments." An excerpt from a real orthopaedic physician assistant resume shows how this skill is central to what an orthopaedic physician assistant does: "conflict resolution and de-escalations between providers and nursing staff and between patients. "
The three companies that hire the most orthopaedic physician assistants are:
- Geisinger Medical Center13 orthopaedic physician assistants jobs
- Cambridge Health Alliance7 orthopaedic physician assistants jobs
- UPMC5 orthopaedic physician assistants jobs
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Compare different orthopaedic physician assistants
Orthopaedic physician assistant vs. Midlevel provider
Pain management physicians are medical doctors who diagnose and coordinate treatment while providing care for patients who are experiencing pain. By understanding the physiology of pain, these physicians are required to conduct specialized tests to diagnose complex pain conditions as well as prescribe proper medications and therapies to treat them. They must observe their patients for their ability to function and overall quality of life. Pain management physicians must also work with other healthcare professionals such as physical therapists, physiatrists, and nurses to meet all the needs of their patients.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an orthopaedic physician assistant are more likely to require skills like "patients," "ankle," "evaluates," and "medical care." On the other hand, a job as a midlevel provider requires skills like "hypertension," "copd," "analyze data," and "iud." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that midlevel providers earn slightly differ from orthopaedic physician assistants. In particular, midlevel providers are 9.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an orthopaedic physician assistant. Additionally, they're 7.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Orthopaedic physician assistant vs. Pain management physician
Obstetrics Gynecology Physician is a specialist doctor in childbirth, pregnancy, and female reproductive health. Their duties include conducting tests such as pelvic exams, breast exams, and pap smears, diagnosing diseases and disorders, carrying out a patient routine check-up, prescribing treatment plans, and monitoring expectant mothers during periods of postpartum, pregnancy, and childbirth. They maintain accurate patient medical records, educate patients on reproductive healthcare and disease detection and prevention. Obstetrics Gynecology Physicians works to keep abreast with the latest innovations, best practice and collaborates with non-medical and medical teams in accomplishing its tasks.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, orthopaedic physician assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "ankle," "diagnostic tests," "evaluates," and "medical care." Meanwhile, a pain management physician has duties that require skills in areas such as "interventional pain," "family practice," "rehabilitation," and "physical medicine." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, pain management physicians earn a higher salary than orthopaedic physician assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, pain management physicians earn the most pay in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $190,772. Whereas orthopaedic physician assistants have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $171,207.pain management physicians earn lower levels of education than orthopaedic physician assistants in general. They're 17.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 7.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Orthopaedic physician assistant vs. Obstetrics gynecology physician
A senior physician specializes in diagnosing and treating different medical conditions. They typically offer consultations and check-ups, conduct examinations, study patients' medical histories, and guide patients through different treatments. A senior physician is a medical expert with years of experience, which gives them the authority to oversee various medical projects and operations, lead junior physicians, and participate in developing and implementing the facility's standards and regulations.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from orthopaedic physician assistant resumes include skills like "ankle," "evaluates," "sports medicine," and "epic," whereas an obstetrics gynecology physician is more likely to list skills in "ob-gyn," "emr," "family practice," and "labor delivery. "
Obstetrics gynecology physicians earn the best pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $189,968. Orthopaedic physician assistants earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $171,207.Most obstetrics gynecology physicians achieve a lower degree level compared to orthopaedic physician assistants. For example, they're 11.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 13.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Orthopaedic physician assistant vs. Senior physician
Types of orthopaedic physician assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
