Resident physician vs physician assistant

The differences between resident physicians and physician assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a resident physician has an average salary of $164,598, which is higher than the $118,812 average annual salary of a physician assistant.

The top three skills for a resident physician include patients, family medicine and medical education. The most important skills for a physician assistant are patients, diagnostic tests, and surgery.

Resident physician vs physician assistant overview

	Resident Physician	Physician Assistant
Yearly salary	$164,598	$118,812
Hourly rate	$79.13	$57.12
Growth rate	7%	28%
Number of jobs	43,775	39,752
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	48	39
Years of experience	-	-

What does a resident physician do?

A Resident Physician participates in a program of graduate medical education and training in a specialized area of medicine. They work with other members of the healthcare team to provide direct medical care to patients.

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.

Resident physician vs physician assistant salary

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

	Resident Physician	Physician Assistant
Average salary	$164,598	$118,812
Salary range	Between $78,000 And $344,000	Between $70,000 And $201,000
Highest paying City	Worcester, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Vermont
Best paying company	Baptist Health Care	Marshall University
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between resident physician and physician assistant education

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

	Resident Physician	Physician Assistant
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Medicine	Physician Assistant
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Resident physician vs physician assistant demographics

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

	Resident Physician	Physician Assistant
Average age	48	39
Gender ratio	Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9%	Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 23.5% White, 57.6% 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 resident physician and physician assistant duties and responsibilities

Resident physician example responsibilities.

Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
See CTO position with Vocada above.

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.

Resident physician vs physician assistant skills

Common resident physician skills

Patients, 24%
Family Medicine, 13%
Medical Education, 6%
Primary Care, 6%
Internal Medicine, 5%
Psychiatry, 3%

Common physician assistant skills

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

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Resident Physician
Resident Physician vs Physician Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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