Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Physician Assistant

In Atlanta, Georgia, physician assistant Jordan Hall explains how the PA role works and what training it requires. A federally and locally licensed PA can examine patients, order and interpret tests, perform procedures, and diagnose and treat conditions under supervision of an employing physician. Hall says he has worked a little over three years and spent about seven years preparing for the career before taking the job. He chose the path after learning about it at a career fair, shadowing doctors who employ PAs, and researching the profession’s range—especially the ability to see patients with more time than a rushed schedule and to prescribe within scope.