Psychical therapy assistant pros and cons?

Pros and Cons of Physician Assistant?

• I am going to make a career change and am considering my options, can anyone provide me with some pros and cons of being a physician assistant. It is important to me to have ...show more

• Answer:

  US-JD gave you a lot of good info. He is correct--they pay is quite good, although the latest salary figures in one Journal had the mean pay a bit higher now ($78,000). As for flexibility; I have always had great luck finding flexible shifts, as I try and match my husband's ER shifts. I generally pick my own schedule (2-3 days a week on the average) but I am in a ER; other PAs I know work 3 -12 hour days in clinics & doctor's offices. Others do straight 5 day a week stuff. When I worked in the PICU however I did 5 12-hour days plus one 24 hour on call/week minimum. Currently, I live in Calif but only work the summers in Maryland in the summer clinics there on the eastern shore. They let me pick whatever I want as long as I take 12 shifts a month. So, you just have to look around for these more flexible things. Also, like any job, the more experience the more likely you can call the shots. The only con I ever really came up against was just not being "the real doctor" but I got over that! and quit letting it bother me.