Physician Assistants
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.
162,150 people do this job in the US. $135,880 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 36%
- 15%
- 49%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 6%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 36%. Today's estimate: 36%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 12 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provide physicians with assistance during surgery or complicated medical procedures.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 20% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 12% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Instruct and counsel patients about prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 10% | 21 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 10% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 10% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 7% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Visit and observe patients on hospital rounds or house calls, updating charts, ordering therapy, and reporting back to physician.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Supervise and coordinate activities of technicians and technical assistants.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Order medical and laboratory supplies and equipment.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).