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Physician Assistants

SOC 29-1071.00Job Zone 5 · Extensive Preparationv.26.05

Context coveredThis framework covers Physician Assistant practice across primary care, specialty, urgent care, inpatient, and academic medical center environments, from supervised entry-level clinical work through executive-level health system leadership.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Patient health histories — collect and document under attending physician supervision in an ambulatory care clinic setting.
  2. Physical examination findings — perform structured assessments and record results under direct oversight in a supervised clinical rotation.
  3. Diagnostic test orders — initiate standard laboratory and imaging requests following established protocols with physician co-signature in a hospital environment.
  4. Diagnostic test results — interpret basic deviations from normal reference ranges under supervisory guidance in a primary care setting.
  5. Tentative diagnoses — formulate preliminary differential diagnoses for common, uncomplicated conditions with physician review in an outpatient clinic.
  6. Prescription medications — assist in drafting treatment recommendations for straightforward cases pending physician approval in a supervised practice.
  7. Therapeutic procedures — perform basic injections and wound care under direct supervision following sterile technique protocols in a clinical setting.
  8. Patient counseling — deliver scripted instruction on prescribed therapeutic regimens and health maintenance under a senior clinician's guidance.
  9. Electronic medical records — enter and organize patient progress notes and examination data using practice management software in a clinic environment.
  10. Clinical decision-making frameworks — apply evidence-based guidelines to routine patient scenarios under mentored supervision in an acute or primary care setting.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. Patient medical data — compile comprehensive histories, physical findings, and diagnostic results independently within an established outpatient or urgent care practice.
  2. Differential diagnoses — formulate and prioritize working diagnoses for moderately complex cases with reduced physician oversight in a specialty or primary care clinic.
  3. Diagnostic imaging and ECG results — interpret findings for common deviations and integrate results into clinical decision-making in a hospital or multispecialty setting.
  4. Prescription therapies — select and prescribe appropriate medications or treatment regimens within scope-of-practice guidelines with routine physician collaboration.
  5. Diagnostic test panels — order and coordinate x-rays, electrocardiograms, and laboratory studies efficiently to support timely diagnosis in a busy clinical environment.
  6. Therapeutic procedures — perform suturing, immunizations, and infection management routinely with minimal supervision in an emergency or outpatient procedure suite.
  7. Patient counseling sessions — conduct individualized education on chronic disease management, family planning, and emotional health in a community health center.
  8. Progress documentation — author clear, legally compliant progress notes and discharge summaries using electronic health record systems in an inpatient setting.
  9. Time-sensitive clinical situations — prioritize and manage multiple patient encounters efficiently during high-volume shifts in an urgent care or hospital medicine unit.
  10. Interdisciplinary care coordination — collaborate with nursing, pharmacy, and specialist teams to align treatment plans in a hospital or integrated health system.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Complex diagnostic workups — independently design and interpret multi-system diagnostic investigations for undifferentiated or atypical presentations in a tertiary care environment.
  2. Treatment management decisions — autonomously determine and adjust comprehensive management plans for complex, multi-morbid patients across the full scope of PA practice.
  3. Advanced therapeutic procedures — execute high-acuity procedural interventions including complex wound management and critical care support protocols in an inpatient or procedural setting.
  4. Pharmacological regimens — prescribe, titrate, and modify multimodal medication plans for chronic and acute conditions, navigating drug interactions in a specialty practice environment.
  5. Diagnostic reasoning — synthesize clinical, laboratory, and imaging data using advanced inductive and deductive reasoning to resolve diagnostically challenging cases.
  6. Patient and family counseling — lead nuanced discussions on serious diagnoses, treatment trade-offs, and psychosocial dimensions of care with empathy in a complex care setting.
  7. Systems evaluation — assess clinical workflow inefficiencies and contribute to protocol refinement initiatives within a hospital or large group practice.
  8. Clinical documentation quality — produce comprehensive, medico-legally precise records and scholarly case summaries using health information systems in an academic medical center.
  9. Non-routine clinical problem solving — apply active learning and science-based reasoning to manage rare or emergent conditions without immediate physician availability in a remote or rural setting.
  10. Population health monitoring — track patient panel outcomes, identify risk trends, and recommend preventive interventions in a value-based or accountable care organization environment.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Clinical practice standards — establish and champion evidence-based protocols and scope-of-practice policies across a department or health system to elevate patient care quality.
  2. PA workforce development — design and lead structured mentorship, onboarding, and continuing education programs that build clinical competency across an organization's PA staff.
  3. Organizational diagnostic strategy — direct enterprise-wide diagnostic utilization initiatives, reducing unnecessary testing while improving accuracy across a multi-site health network.
  4. Interdisciplinary leadership — lead collaborative, cross-functional care teams including physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals in delivering complex patient care programs.
  5. Health system quality improvement — drive institution-level quality and patient safety initiatives by analyzing clinical outcome data and implementing systemic corrective measures.
  6. Advanced prescribing governance — develop formulary guidance and prescribing policy frameworks adopted across a hospital system or regional integrated health network.
  7. Strategic patient education programs — architect system-level patient counseling and health literacy initiatives targeting chronic disease, family planning, and behavioral health outcomes.
  8. Clinical technology integration — lead the evaluation and implementation of medical software, EHR upgrades, and telehealth platforms to optimize clinical operations at an organizational level.
  9. Regulatory and credentialing leadership — represent the PA profession in institutional credentialing committees, regulatory bodies, and scope-of-practice advocacy forums at state or national level.
  10. Research and knowledge translation — lead applied clinical research, publish findings, and translate emerging evidence into actionable practice changes across a healthcare system or academic institution.

AI-at-Work Competency Framework

Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.

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  1. Emerging
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  4. Advanced
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Sources:Pathsmith™ Durable SkillsPathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
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Show O*NET source anchors66 anchors · skillscrosswalk.com

O*NET enrichment · skillscrosswalk.com

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Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles
Advanced Practice Provider (AAP) · Anesthetic Assistant · Cardiology Physician Assistant · Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C) · Certified Physician's Assistant (PA-C) · Doctor Assistant · Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant (Emergency Medicine PA) · Family Medicine PA (Family Medicine Physician Assistant) · Family Physician Assistant · Family Practice Physician Assistant · Gynecological Assistant · Medical Service Technician
RAPIDS apprenticeships
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O*NET skills
Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingJudgment and Decision MakingService OrientationActive ListeningWritingSpeakingSocial PerceptivenessComplex Problem SolvingMonitoringActive LearningScienceSystems EvaluationTime ManagementCoordinationPersuasionLearning StrategiesNegotiationInstructingSystems AnalysisManagement of Personnel ResourcesMathematics
Knowledge domains
Medicine and DentistryBiologyEnglish LanguagePsychologyTherapy and CounselingCustomer and Personal ServiceEducation and TrainingSociology and AnthropologyComputers and ElectronicsChemistryMathematicsPublic Safety and Security
Abilities
Oral ComprehensionInductive ReasoningDeductive ReasoningProblem SensitivityInformation OrderingSpeech ClaritySpeech RecognitionWritten ExpressionOral ExpressionWritten Comprehension
Work styles
Attention to DetailDependabilityIntegrityCooperationCautiousnessSelf-Control
Technology
Medical softwareSpreadsheet softwareOffice suite softwareElectronic mail softwareWord processing softwareStorage media loading softwareVideo conferencing softwareInternet browser software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
  2. Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.
  3. Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.
  4. Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.
  5. Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.
  6. Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.
  7. Instruct and counsel patients about prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance.
  8. Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management.
CIP education codes
51.091260.090160.090260.090360.090460.090560.090660.090760.090860.090960.091060.091160.091260.091360.091460.091560.091660.091760.091860.091960.092060.0999

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me®, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.