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Physician assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Timothy Sparta,

Timothy Sparta

One of the most important hard skills a physician assistant can possess is ample experience in handling patient care, because physician assistants will almost always be providing medical care as a primary function of their job. It's also important for physician assistants to have the hard skill of ordering diagnostic tests and providing treatment plans.

When it comes to soft skills, physician assistants should have strong communication skills above all else. Physician assistants need to have a wide base of knowledge and a strong ability to apply this knowledge in real-world settings, so great problem-solving skills are also required.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical physician assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for physician assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 29.1% of physician assistant resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a physician assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 physician assistant skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how physician assistants use patients:

Performed daily rounding on hospitalized inpatients, history and physicals and medical consults; interpreted laboratory data; educated patients.
Performed rapid assessment of trauma patients, ordering and interpretation of appropriate diagnostic laboratory, radiology and cardiovascular tests.

2. Diagnostic Tests

Here's how physician assistants use diagnostic tests:

Determined abnormal conditions by administering or ordering diagnostic tests such as x-rays, electrocardiograms and laboratory studies and interpreting test results.
Establish treatment and rehabilitation plans in consultation with Chiropractor, Rehabilitation Coordinator and Physician based on physical evaluation and diagnostic tests.

3. Surgery

Here's how physician assistants use surgery:

Shadowed anesthesiologists and observed surgeries including hernia repair, open-heart surgery, liver transplantation, and robotic surgery.
Assisted and shadowed Physician Assistants in cardiovascular/thoracic surgery and dermatology for a total of 70 hours.

4. Primary Care

Here's how physician assistants use primary care:

Developed and implemented Primary Care model within community mental health center with goal of achieving integration of behavioral and primary care.
Delivered primary care for population diagnosed with severe persistent mental illness with expected outcome of decreased patient morbidity and mortality.

5. Urgent Care

Urgent care provides assistance to patients on an immediate basis. Although the problems requiring this swift attention are not life threatening, if not seen to it immediately, they may become a bigger problem. Therefore, time plays a crucial role in such situations.

Here's how physician assistants use urgent care:

Developed family medical home model successfully incorporating routine annual exams while incorporating daily open appointments for urgent care/walk-in patient care needs.
Worked independently with full autonomy at six busy state-of-the-art primary/urgent care facilities located in both rural and urban areas.

6. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how physician assistants use cpr:

Performed ECG, CPR, all types of injections, including IV, G-tube, Oxygen therapy, specimen collection.
Assisted Physician Assistant with MI/CVA and trauma patients (IV techniques, CPR, EKG, and emergency transports).

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7. Medical Care

Here's how physician assistants use medical care:

Assessed acuity of patients regarding outpatient treatment versus need for immediate inpatient medical care via emergency department or direct hospital admission.
Provide emergency care access and coordinated routine occupational related medical care to orthopedics, occupational and physical therapy as needed.

8. Acute Care

The branch of secondary healthcare which is responsible for giving short-term care to patients recovering from severe injuries or urgent medical problems is known as acute care. Acute care comprises multiple domains like; emergency care, urgent care, short-term stabilization, pre-hospital care, critical care, and trauma care.

Here's how physician assistants use acute care:

Conducted daily active-duty acute care for Military Service Warriors and their family members.
Provided preventative and acute care in a family practice/rural clinic setting.

9. Physical Exams

A physical examination occurs when a doctor or health care professional needs to determine or diagnose the patient's current condition. It is a method to know the patient's health's general status by assessing the physical pain symptoms and other health reasons that need to be treated right away.

Here's how physician assistants use physical exams:

Performed history and physical examinations/consultations/admission orders.
Included taking histories and performing physical exams, providing anticipatory guidance and counseling patients and parents on developmental physical milestones.

10. Test Results

Here's how physician assistants use test results:

Performed histories and examinations, formulated differential diagnostic plans, ordered and interpreted test results and implemented treatment plans.
Completed daily evaluation and revision of medical treatment based upon physical examination and laboratory and diagnostic test results.

11. Patient Education

Here's how physician assistants use patient education:

Performed gynecological examinations, patient education concerning gynecological therapies and contraceptive counseling.
Provide comprehensive annual wellness exams to Medicare and Medicaid patients with an emphasis on preventative exams and screenings and patient education.

12. Laboratory Tests

Here's how physician assistants use laboratory tests:

Administered immunizations and performed laboratory tests
Interpreted on-site laboratory testing, X-ray imaging, and expedited hospital admittance/patient referrals based on clinical presentation and continuity of care.

13. Suturing

Here's how physician assistants use suturing:

Worked with pediatric populations, associated pediatric illness performed suturing orthopedic emergencies fracture care, reduction, splint and cast placement.
Performed tests and treatments on both pediatric and adult patients including suturing, splinting and gynecological examinations.

14. Surgical Procedures

Surgical procedures include the list of tasks that are done while doing surgery. Usually, a surgical procedure involves an incision with instruments, performed to repair damage or heal the disease in a living body. Surgical procedures are performed by trained individuals such as surgeons, doctors, and nurses.

Here's how physician assistants use surgical procedures:

Performed minor surgical procedures, sutured lacerations and treated injuries including sprains, dislocations and non displaced fractures.
Performed minor surgical procedures, pelvic exams, monitored preoperative testing, therapeutic interventions and post-operative care.

15. Patient History

Here's how physician assistants use patient history:

Assist in multiple key aspects of care, including patient history, physical examinations, and medication prescription/administration.
Performed complete patient history and physical exams for all patients requiring admission for observation and inpatient care.

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What skills help Physician Assistants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on physician assistant resumes?

Timothy Sparta

Clinical Education Director, University of Maryland Eastern Shore

PAs that have remained at the same job and received at least 3 to 5 years of training in their specialty, PAs with a dedicated stance on serving the local community and diverse patient populations, PAs with a diverse skill set and are flexible.

What soft skills should all physician assistants possess?

Timothy Sparta

Clinical Education Director, University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Punctuality; willingness to always learn, as medicine is a constantly evolving field.

What hard/technical skills are most important for physician assistants?

Timothy Sparta

Clinical Education Director, University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Good bedside manner, great communication skills, strong physical examination skills; many technical skills will be based on where the PA decides to practice, such as ER vs. office setting.

Do you want to know more?

List of physician assistant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a physician assistant resume and required skills for a physician assistant to have include:

Patients
Diagnostic Tests
Surgery
Primary Care
Urgent Care
CPR
Medical Care
Acute Care
Physical Exams
Test Results
Patient Education
Laboratory Tests
Suturing
Surgical Procedures
Patient History
Medical History

Direct Patient Care
Emergency Medicine
Therapeutic Procedures
Health Maintenance
Rehabilitation
Discharge Summaries
Home Health
Triage
Internal Medicine
Compassion
Diagnostic Studies
Outpatient Clinic
Family Practice
ICU
Electrocardiogram
Discharge Planning

Emergency Room
EKG
Vital Signs
Advanced Life Support
IV
Catheter
Lab Results
Medical Equipment
Post-Operative Care
Pain Management
Allergies
Medical Problems
Hematology Oncology
Resuscitation
Team Work

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Physician Assistant Skills

Updated January 8, 2025

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