What does a PA do?
PAs take medical histories, examine patients, diagnose and treat illness, order and interpret tests, prescribe medication and perform procedures. What a day looks like depends on the specialty, setting and state law. In NCCPA's 2025 profile, PAs worked a median of 40 hours a week, and full-time PAs (40+ hours a week) saw an average of 67 patients a week.
What PAs do
According to AAPA, PAs' duties depend on their setting, experience, specialty and state law. Generally, PAs can:
- Take medical histories and do physical exams
- Diagnose and treat illness
- Order and interpret tests
- Develop treatment plans and prescribe medication
- Counsel patients on preventive care
- Perform procedures and assist in surgery
- Make rounds in hospitals and nursing homes
- Do clinical research
Where and how much they work (2025)
| Measure | Number |
|---|---|
| Work in a hospital or office-based private practice | 78.9% |
| Hours worked per week, principal clinical position | Mean 39.2, median 40 |
| Patients seen per week (PAs working 40+ hours who see patients) | Mean 67 |
Source: NCCPA 2025 Statistical Profile of Board Certified PAs. Other settings include community health centers, retail clinics, nursing homes, correctional facilities and the uniformed services (AAPA).
Working with physicians
PAs work in teams with physicians and other clinicians. AAPA says most state laws require a PA to have an agreement with a specific physician in order to practice; AAPA lists 10 states that have removed it (including Iowa and Virginia), and AAPA advocates removing it everywhere. In some of those states a collaboration agreement may still be required. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes PAs as working "under the supervision of a physician"; the legal requirement depends on the state, so check the current law where you plan to work.
A day depends on the specialty
AAPA lists assisting in surgery and making hospital rounds among PA duties, so a PA in surgery may spend part of the day in the operating room and part rounding, while a PA in a family medicine clinic may see a full schedule of appointments. In NCCPA's 2025 profile, 52.7% of clinically practicing PAs who answered said they had changed specialties at least once (see PA specialties and salary).
See it for yourself
The best way to learn what a PA's day is like is to shadow one, ideally in more than one setting. See do shadowing hours count for PA school?
Related guides
Free: the Patient Care Hours Starter Kit. A 3-step check for whether a job counts at your schools, CASPA's categories on one page, and a simple hours log. Built from the same program pages as this guide.
Get the free kit →Quick answers
What does a PA do?
According to AAPA, PAs take medical histories, do physical exams, diagnose and treat illness, order and interpret tests, develop treatment plans, prescribe medication, counsel on preventive care, perform procedures and assist in surgery. Their exact duties depend on their setting, experience, specialty and state law.
Do PAs work under a doctor?
PAs work in teams with physicians. AAPA says most state laws require a PA to have an agreement with a specific physician in order to practice, but the rules vary by state. AAPA lists 10 states that have removed the requirement: Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. Check the current law in the state where you plan to work.
How many hours a week do PAs work?
In NCCPA's 2025 profile, PAs worked a mean of 39.2 hours and a median of 40 hours a week in their principal clinical position.
Sources (all opened October 2026)
- AAPA: What is a PA?: https://www.aapa.org/about/what-is-a-pa/
- NCCPA: 2025 Statistical Profile of Board Certified PAs (published May 2026): https://www.nccpa.net/wp-content/uploads/documents/2025-Statistical-Profile-of-Board-Certified-PAs.pdf
- AAPA: PA practice modernization: https://www.aapa.org/advocacy-central/pa-practice-modernization
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Physician Assistants (Occupational Outlook Handbook): https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physician-assistants.htm