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The differences between physician assistants, internal medicine and optometrists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an optometrist has an average salary of $187,654, which is higher than the $125,736 average annual salary of a physician assistant, internal medicine.
The top three skills for a physician assistant, internal medicine include patients, primary care and diagnosis. The most important skills for an optometrist are patients, patient care, and diagnosis.
| Physician Assistant, Internal Medicine | Optometrist | |
| Yearly salary | $125,736 | $187,654 |
| Hourly rate | $60.45 | $90.22 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 60,177 | 20,993 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Average age | 39 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A Physician Assistant supports the doctors work and actively facilitates patients recovery. An Internal Medicine uses nonsurgical approaches to treat medical conditions that affect adults.
A licensed optometrist is primarily responsible for the vision and eye care of clients, treating different conditions such as astigmatism, nearsightedness, and farsightedness. Their duties mostly revolve around performing eye and vision tests, diagnosing issues, providing consultations, prescribing corrective glasses and lenses, and educating clients on proper eye care methods. Furthermore, an optometrist must maintain records of all cases and treatment plans, and supervise support staff should they choose to work at a private clinic or a similar setting.
Physician assistants, internal medicine and optometrists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Physician Assistant, Internal Medicine | Optometrist | |
| Average salary | $125,736 | $187,654 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $207,000 | Between $94,000 And $373,000 |
| Highest paying City | Medford, MA | Greensboro, NC |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | North Carolina |
| Best paying company | Mayo Clinic | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a physician assistant, internal medicine and an optometrist in terms of educational background:
| Physician Assistant, Internal Medicine | Optometrist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Most common major | Physician Assistant | Optometry |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of California, Berkeley |
Here are the differences between physician assistants, internal medicine' and optometrists' demographics:
| Physician Assistant, Internal Medicine | Optometrist | |
| Average age | 39 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4% | Male, 25.9% Female, 74.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 11.5% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% Asian, 17.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 18% |