PA vs MD: Which Healthcare Path Is Right for You?

Many aspiring medical professionals believe that attending medical school and becoming a doctor is the only path to actually diagnosing and treating patients. But other career paths exist offering similar duties and opportunities to have a real impact on patient outcomes—such as physician assistants.

Not sure whether a career as a doctor or physician assistant is right for you? Below, we compare key aspects of the two careers, including their duties, education requirements, salary, and more—so you’ll be better equipped to make a decision about your future.

What Does a Physician Assistant Do?

A physician assistant (PA) is a medical professional that provides patient care in collaboration with a supervising physician. It’s important to note, though, that this is not direct supervision; by and large, PAs work independently as a part of a broader medical team. As such, they perform many of the same tasks as physicians including:

• Patient examinations and preventative care
• Diagnosing patient illness and injury
• Developing and overseeing treatment plans
• Prescribing medications
• Ordering and interpreting tests like bloodwork and X-Rays
• Assisting with a variety of procedures and surgeries

Because physician assistants are typically trained as generalists, they can work within virtually any medical specialty, including emergency medicine, primary care, surgery, dermatology, cardiology, oncology, and more. Likewise, they can be employed in a range of medical settings like hospitals, nursing homes, community health centers, clinics, and more.

What Does a Medical Doctor Do?

Medical doctors or physicians can perform every task that PAs perform, including examining patients, diagnosing injury and illness, developing treatment plans, prescribing drugs, ordering and interpreting tests, and more.

But whereas PAs must work in collaboration with a supervising physician, doctors have greater autonomy to work independently due to their more extensive training. This also means that they can perform surgeries and other specialized procedures that PAs are restricted from performing. Likewise, they have greater freedom to prescribe controlled substances which PAs may be restricted from prescribing (depending on the jurisdiction).

Unlike PAs, physicians often complete their residency training in a specific specialty before moving into independent practice. Like PAs, they can work in a variety of healthcare settings including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and more.

What are the Education and Training Requirements?

While doctors and physician assistants perform many of the same tasks, the education and training required for each position differs significantly.

How to Become a PA

To become a physician assistant, you’ll need to:

• First earn a bachelor’s degree, typically in the sciences. Many colleges offer a pre-PA program specifically designed to prepare you for the career, but other options include a BS in biology, chemistry, health sciences, or kinesiology.
• Complete a PA program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). These programs typically take two years to complete and confer a master’s degree (MS), which may be called a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS), Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS), or related term.
• Gain a license to practice by passing the the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE)

Typically, becoming a PA will require approximately six years of schooling—four years of undergraduate education plus two years of graduate education.

Programs such as Northeastern University’s Bouvé College of Health Sciences Physician Assistant (MS) program are designed as full-time graduate pathways that prepare students for licensure and clinical practice.

It’s important to note that not everyone’s path to becoming a physician assistant is the same. For some students, this can be a linear career path from bachelor’s degree to graduate studies to licensure and practice. For others, it may be non-linear. Many PAs may work in non-medical fields after earning their bachelor’s degree, for example, before deciding to complete a PA program.

How to Become a Physician

Doctors, physicians, and surgeons require significantly more education than PAs. While there can be some variability, to become a physician you’d need to:

• Earn an undergraduate degree—again, typically in the sciences. Pursuing a pre-med program will ensure that you complete all of the prerequisites (biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, etc.) necessary to apply for medical school.
• Pass the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). This test is typically taken during your junior year as an undergraduate and is a requirement for admission to medical school.
• Complete medical school and earn your Doctor of Medicine (M.D.). Most M.D. programs are four years in length, but a number of three-year accelerated programs also exist.
• Complete residency, which is a paid, three- to seven-year specialized training program in your chosen field. During residency, you’ll also need to pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)—usually within the first 12-18 months of your program. Passing this exam is required for licensure.
• Gain a license to practice by passing USMLE (noted above) and meeting the other requirements of whichever state(s) you wish to practice in.
• Get board certified by passing the appropriate certification exams for your specialty. You’ll also need to complete ongoing professional development in order to maintain certification.

With all of this in mind, becoming a doctor will take anywhere from 11 to 16 years of formal education—four years of undergraduate pre-med work, three to four years of med school, and three to seven years of residency.

Financial Investment

According to the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), the median cost of completing a PA program in the United States is currently $97,000 for in-state students and more than $100,000 for non-residents as of 2026. By comparison, medical school cost an average of $228,959 in 2025.

This difference in cost is primarily driven by the fact that medical school is twice as long as the typical PA program. That means two more years of tuition and—if the degree is being financed by student loans—two more years of compounding interest.

Northeastern’s full-time, two-year Physician Assistant (MS) program is one example of how PA education can offer a shorter path into clinical practice than medical school.

(It’s important to note that neither of the figures above include the cost of completing a bachelor’s degree prior to graduate work.)

Salary and Job Outlook

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), physicians and surgeons earn a median salary of $239,200 per year or approximately $115.00 per hour. By comparison, physician assistants earn a median wage of $133,260 per year or $64.07 per hour.

While the compensation for doctors is, on average, higher than it is for physician assistants, it’s important to consider the time investment for each career. Aspiring physician assistants enter the field much more quickly than doctors due to shorter educational requirements. That means a faster path to earning, especially when you consider that physicians earn much lower pay during residency—between $68,000 and $94,000, depending on the program year.

As for job outlook, the number of physician assistants is expected to grow 20 percent between 2024 and 2034, which is much faster than average. The rate of growth is lower for doctors—about 3 percent—which is in line with the expected growth for all occupations.

Career Flexibility

Both doctors and physician assistants enjoy a certain level of career flexibility in that they can work in—and move between—a variety of settings. Hospitals, clinics, community health centers, nursing homes, and independent practices all employ a mix of doctors and PAs, and it’s relatively easy for both professions to transition from one setting to another.

That being said, physician assistants enjoy a bit more flexibility due to the nature of their training. PAs are trained as generalists, whereas doctors complete their residency in a chosen specialty. The generality of the PA’s training makes it easier to switch specialties. According to a report by the American Medical Association (AMA), 40 percent of PAs will switch specialties at least once in their career, and approximately 20 percent switched twice or more. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) puts that number at more than 50 percent.

The number is lower for doctors. According to a poll conducted by Doximity, only 20 percent of doctors have changed their specialty at least once during their career.

How to Decide Which Is Right for You?

Becoming either a physician assistant or a doctor can both be excellent choices if you’re interested in a medical career that empower you to directly guide and impact patient outcomes. Which is the better path for you will depend on your own personal values and desires.

If you want the career that will get you practicing as quickly as possible—while enjoying fast ROI, the strongest job prospects, the greatest level of career flexibility, and significant autonomy—then becoming a physician assistant could be the right choice for you.

If, on the other hand, you want the highest level of autonomy on the job and the greatest potential for an exceptionally high salary, becoming a doctor may be the better option.

Taking the Next Step Toward Your PA Career

Are you considering a career as a physician assistant? It’s important to evaluate PA programs carefully to ensure that you’re choosing one that aligns with your learning style and career aspirations.

If you’re looking for a program that combines rigorous academics with robust clinical training and access to an extensive network of healthcare institutions, consider the Physician Assistant (MS) program at Northeastern University’s Bouvé College of Health Sciences.

Located in Boston—a regional hub for medicine, biotechnology, and academic research—and supported by decades of experience educating healthcare professionals, the program is particularly well-suited to prepare graduates for this dynamic career.