Physical medicine physician vs physician assistant

The differences between physical medicine physicians and physician assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical medicine physician has an average salary of $196,716, which is higher than the $118,812 average annual salary of a physician assistant.

The top three skills for a physical medicine physician include rehabilitation, physical medicine and physical therapy. The most important skills for a physician assistant are patients, diagnostic tests, and surgery.

Physical medicine physician vs physician assistant overview

	Physical Medicine Physician	Physician Assistant
Yearly salary	$196,716	$118,812
Hourly rate	$94.58	$57.12
Growth rate	7%	28%
Number of jobs	111,596	39,752
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	48	39
Years of experience	4	-

What does a physical medicine physician do?

Physical medicine physicians are paid salaries between $144K and $216K per year. They must have a bachelor's and M.D. This career requires strong skills in reading, critical thinking and medicine. Those who make the choice to pursue this particular career will be called up on to treat a wide variety of medical conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons.

What does a physician assistant do?

The physician assistant, also known as "PA," is now considered a key player to any healthcare team. Physician assistants are health care professionals who practice medicine under the supervision of licensed physicians. They work on several areas of medicine, from primary care to emergency service and even psychiatry. Neither they are a doctor nor a physician, but their job profile showcases many of these responsibilities. More than as assistants to the doctors, they are also equipped to examine, diagnose, and develop treatment strategies for patients.

Physical medicine physician vs physician assistant salary

Physical medicine physicians and physician assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physical Medicine Physician	Physician Assistant
Average salary	$196,716	$118,812
Salary range	Between $99,000 And $389,000	Between $70,000 And $201,000
Highest paying City	Saint Louis, MO	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Oklahoma	Vermont
Best paying company	Sanford Health	Marshall University
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between physical medicine physician and physician assistant education

There are a few differences between a physical medicine physician and a physician assistant in terms of educational background:

	Physical Medicine Physician	Physician Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Medicine	Physician Assistant
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Duke University

Physical medicine physician vs physician assistant demographics

Here are the differences between physical medicine physicians' and physician assistants' demographics:

	Physical Medicine Physician	Physician Assistant
Average age	48	39
Gender ratio	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%	Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 19.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 11.2% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	13%	12%

Differences between physical medicine physician and physician assistant duties and responsibilities

Physical medicine physician example responsibilities.

Manage multidisciplinary teams and achieve excellent patient outcomes in inpatient rehabilitation settings.
Assist with managing chronic illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, and CHF.
Provide physician input for the development of rehabilitation order care sets for Cerner's EMR software.
Maintain current HIPPA, OSHA and other govern files.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
Assist with managing chronic illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, and CHF.

Physician assistant example responsibilities.

Manage a variety of acute and chronic conditions especially asthma, allergies, injuries, and infectious diseases.
Manage chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, ASCVD, chronic back and joint pains, depression, and anxiety.
Manage patient surgical care throughout the continuum of care from pre-op, to discharge planning, including ambulatory and hospital in-patients.
Attain pertinent history & physicals for obstetrics and gynecological acute and preventative visits.
Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
Aid in the acute management of trauma patients including obtaining appropriate studies, suturing, and CPR.

Physical medicine physician vs physician assistant skills

Common physical medicine physician skills

Rehabilitation, 42%
Physical Medicine, 27%
Physical Therapy, 10%
Family Practice, 7%
Internal Medicine, 5%
Private Practice, 4%

Common physician assistant skills

Patients, 29%
Diagnostic Tests, 6%
Surgery, 5%
Primary Care, 5%
Urgent Care, 4%
CPR, 3%

Physical Medicine Physician vs. similar jobs

Physical Medicine Physician related careers

Physical Medicine Physician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Physical Medicine Physician
Physical Medicine Physician vs Physician Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs