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Physician Assistants
(SOC Code : 29-1071)
in Santa Cruz County

Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients. May, in some cases, prescribe medication. Must graduate from an accredited educational program for physician assistants. Exclude "Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics" (29-2041), "Medical Assistants" (31-9092), and "Registered Nurses" (29-1111).

Employers are usually looking for candidates with a Bachelor's degree .

Santa Cruz County is the same as Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA.
Occupational Wages[Top]
AreaYearPeriodHourly MeanHourly by Percentile
25thMedian75th
Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA20231st Qtr$69.63$64.18$70.44$0.00

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")[Top]
 AreaEstimated Year-Projected YearEmploymentEmployment ChangeTotal Job Openings
EstimatedProjectedNumberPercent
Santa Cruz County 2018 - 20281001303030.0100

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange[Top]
 
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Possible Licenses Required and Issuing Authority[Top]
License Title
License Authority
Physician AssistantDepartment of Consumer Affairs
Physician Assistant Board
http://www.pac.ca.gov

About Licenses
 

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)[Top]
Industry Title
Number of Employers in Santa Cruz County
Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California
Offices of Physicians 30151.7%
Employment Services2413.0%
Outpatient Care Centers 7011.1%
General Medical and Surgical Hos1410.8%
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 6241.3%
Private Colleges, Universities, an71.1%

About Staffing Patterns
 

Data for Training Programs not available.

About Training & Apprenticeships
 

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)[Top]
Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)
Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.
Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.
Obtain, compile and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes and results of physical examination.
Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.
Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.
Instruct and counsel patients about prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance.
Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management.
Provide physicians with assistance during surgery or complicated medical procedures.
Visit and observe patients on hospital rounds or house calls, updating charts, ordering therapy, and reporting back to physician.

More Tasks for Physician Assistants , More Tasks for Anesthesiologist Assistants


Top Skills used in this Job
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

More Skills for Physician Assistants , More Skills for Anesthesiologist Assistants


Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

More Abilities for Physician Assistants , More Abilities for Anesthesiologist Assistants


Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)
Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.
Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

More WorkValues for Physician Assistants , More WorkValues for Anesthesiologist Assistants


Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)
Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

More Interests for Physician Assistants , More Interests for Anesthesiologist Assistants


Alternate Titles
Physician's Assistants; Physician Assistant Certified Assistants
 
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