Physician Assistant resume examples
This page has 12 one-page physician assistant resume examples: general, primary care, family medicine, urgent care, emergency medicine and pediatric PAs, specialty PAs in dermatology, psychiatry, orthopedics and cardiology, and surgical and cardiothoracic surgery PAs who first assist in the operating room. Each one is built against 2,423 US physician assistant postings from 677 employers, and the note under each sample explains which licenses, patient volumes and procedures it puts first.
Physician Assistant Resume Example
Physician assistant postings most often ask for a graduate of an accredited PA program, physical exams and histories, and ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, so the master's degree heads education and the bullets show exams, test follow-up and panel results. The California license that 19% of employers name, the NCCPA certification and DEA registration are all listed as certificates.
Why this resume works:
- See 22 adult patients a day for acute visits, annual exams and chronic condition follow-ups.
- Perform physical exams and take detailed histories, presenting complex cases to the collaborating physician.
- Interpret labs, ECGs and imaging and adjust treatment plans, closing 95% of result notes within 48 hours.
Primary Care Physician Assistant Resume Example
Primary care postings name communication above all, and 11% of PA employers prefer 2 years of family medicine or primary care experience, which the 3 years in a health center clear. Bullets cover physical exams, patient education and work with the care team that PA employers write most, and the accredited PA master's degree and NCCPA certification are easy to find.
Why this resume works:
- See 20 patients a day for well visits, chronic care and same-day sick appointments.
- Manage a 1,100-patient panel, raising colorectal cancer screening rates from 48% to 63% in 2 years.
- Perform physical exams, Pap smears and joint injections, documenting each visit in Epic the same day.
Family Medicine Physician Assistant Resume Example
Family medicine postings ask for about 2 years of experience, and 11% of PA employers want it in family medicine or primary care, which 4 years across two practices covers. The bullets show the all-ages range, procedures and test interpretation the title implies, while the accredited PA degree, NCCPA certification and DEA registration employers ask for sit in education and certificates.
Why this resume works:
- See 22 patients a day, from newborn weight checks and well-child visits to geriatric care.
- Perform skin biopsies, IUD insertions and laceration repairs, about 40 procedures a month.
- Run chronic disease management for 750 patients with diabetes, COPD and hypertension, cutting overdue labs by 35%.
Urgent Care Physician Assistant Resume Example
Urgent care postings ask for about 2 years of experience plus the communication and interpersonal skills a walk-in clinic runs on, and this resume pairs 3 years of urgent care with 4 years of EMT work. The procedures, on-site test interpretation and transfer decisions in the bullets match the ordering and interpreting of diagnostic tests that 24% of PA employers list.
Why this resume works:
- See 35-40 walk-in patients per 12-hour shift, keeping door-to-provider time under 25 minutes.
- Perform laceration repair, splinting and incision and drainage for about 60 patients a month.
- Interpret X-rays and point-of-care tests on site, with 97% agreement on radiology over-reads.
Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant Resume Example
Emergency medicine postings ask for around 2 years of experience, and these 4 years in two emergency departments come with procedure counts and throughput results a hiring physician can check. Ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests and working with physicians, two duties PA employers write most, appear in the bullets, and the NCCPA certification, Texas license and ACLS are listed as certificates.
Why this resume works:
- See 2.2 patients an hour on 10-hour shifts across fast track and the main emergency department.
- Perform procedural sedation, fracture reduction and central line placement, about 25 procedures a month.
- Conduct point-of-care ultrasound for FAST exams and line guidance, logging 150+ scans for credentialing.
Pediatric Physician Assistant Resume Example
Pediatric postings ask for about a year of experience, and 3 years in general pediatrics plus 2 years scribing in a children's emergency department go past that. The bullets cover the patient and family education 20% of PA employers ask for, through asthma plans, ADHD follow-ups and vaccine reviews, and the accredited PA degree and NCCPA certification are both listed.
Why this resume works:
- See 24 children a day for well-child visits, sick visits and newborn checks.
- Complete developmental screening at every milestone visit, referring 60+ children to early intervention last year.
- Manage asthma action plans for 300 patients, cutting asthma-related ER visits by 22% in 18 months.
Dermatology Physician Assistant Resume Example
Dermatology postings ask for about 2 years of experience, and 3 years in a dermatology practice with biopsy and excision counts prove procedural skill directly. The California license that 19% of PA employers require, the NCCPA certification and DEA registration are listed as certificates, and the EMR photo documentation bullet answers the record-keeping duty 17% of employers write.
Why this resume works:
- See 35 patients a day for full-body skin cancer screening, rashes, acne and hair loss.
- Perform 15-20 shave and punch biopsies a day, with about 1 in 9 confirming a skin cancer.
- Manage 140 psoriasis and eczema patients on biologics, tracking labs and body surface area every 3 months.
Psychiatric Physician Assistant Resume Example
Psychiatric postings ask for about 2 years of experience, and 4 years across an inpatient unit and an outpatient group show the full range of psychiatric work. The NCCPA certification is backed by the psychiatry CAQ, and the bullets show the collaboration with physicians and other clinicians that 23% of PA employers list, from treatment team meetings to shared care with therapists.
Why this resume works:
- Complete 8-10 psychiatric evaluations a week and 14 medication management visits a day.
- Perform suicide risk assessment at every visit with the Columbia scale, building safety plans for 70 high-risk patients.
- Manage clozapine monitoring and lithium levels for 45 patients, with no missed ANC checks in 2025.
Orthopedic Physician Assistant Resume Example
Orthopedic postings ask for 2-3 years of experience, and 5 years split between sports medicine and a surgical group show both the clinic and operating room work the role involves. Bullets give injection, fracture and first-assist volumes, and the accredited PA degree, NCCPA certification and DEA registration employers ask for are in education and certificates.
Why this resume works:
- See 30 patients a day in clinic for new injuries, post-operative care and arthritis follow-ups.
- Perform 15-20 joint injections a week, including ultrasound-guided hip and shoulder injections.
- Assist as first assist on 25 hip and knee replacements a month, handling positioning, retraction and wound closure.
Cardiology Physician Assistant Resume Example
Cardiology postings ask for about 2 years of experience, and 4 years in step-down and outpatient cardiology show the hospital and clinic sides a cardiology group fills. The bullets cover ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, which 24% of PA employers list, through ECGs, stress tests and echo review, and the readmission result proves the heart failure work.
Why this resume works:
- See 18-20 clinic patients a day for chest pain, arrhythmia, valve disease and heart failure follow-up.
- Run the heart failure clinic for 260 patients with 2 nurses, cutting 30-day readmissions from 21% to 14%.
- Direct 10-12 treadmill and nuclear stress tests a week and write preliminary reports for the cardiologist.
Surgical Physician Assistant Resume Example
Surgical postings name interpersonal skills, and the summary pairs them with 7 years of general and trauma surgery, a senior level that clears the 2 years most postings ask for. Bullets show first-assist volume, pre-operative evaluation and post-operative care with measured results, and the NCCPA certification and DEA registration employers ask for are listed as certificates.
Why this resume works:
- Assist on 30+ cases a month as first assist, including robotic hernia repairs, cholecystectomies and colectomies.
- Perform pre-operative evaluation for 40 patients a week, cutting day-of-surgery cancellations by 30%.
- Manage 12-18 inpatients a day on the surgical floor, writing orders and progress notes before rounds.
Cardiothoracic Surgery Physician Assistant Resume Example
A cardiothoracic surgery PA is hired for vein harvest, first assist and ICU skills, so the current job leads with harvest volume and infection rate, valve and CABG cases and post-op ICU care. The NCCPA certification and the cardiovascular and thoracic surgery CAQ sit in certificates, and 8 years in two heart programs fit a senior opening.
Why this resume works:
- Perform endoscopic vein harvesting on 250+ CABG cases a year, with leg wound infections under 1%.
- Assist as first assist on CABG, mitral and aortic valve surgery and aortic root cases, about 18 a month.
- Manage 6-8 fresh post-op patients a shift in the ICU, adjusting drips through hemodynamic monitoring.
What employers ask for in physician assistant job postings
Physician Assistant job postings in the US, October 2026
- 2,423
- active US job postings
- 677
- employers hiring
- 2 yr
- median experience asked
- 40%
- ask for 1 year or less
Make sure your resume shows
- Graduate of an accredited physician assistant program (36% of employers)
- Communication and interpersonal skills (33% of employers)
- Current state PA license, most often California (20% of employers)
- 2 years of recent family medicine or primary care experience (preferred) (12% of employers)
- Current NCCPA certification (10% of employers)
- Current DEA registration (10% of employers)
- Critical thinking and problem-solving (10% of employers)
- Current BLS or CPR certification (9% of employers)
Duties to build your bullet points around
What employers write most often under responsibilities. Show each one with a result (numbers, scale, outcome), not a copy of the duty.
- Order, perform and interpret diagnostic and lab tests (25%)
- Work with physicians and other clinicians on patient care (24%)
- Perform physical exams and take patient histories (23%)
- Teach patients and families about treatment, medications and prevention (20%)
- Keep timely, complete documentation in the EMR (17%)
- Diagnose patients and set treatment plans (16%)
The examples on this page, in job postings
| Example | US postings | Median years asked |
|---|---|---|
| Physician Assistant | 1,116 | 2 |
| Primary Care Physician Assistant | 12 | 1.25 |
| Family Medicine Physician Assistant | 14 | 2 |
| Urgent Care Physician Assistant | 35 | 2 |
| Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant | 8 | 2 |
| Pediatric Physician Assistant | 7 | 1 |
| Dermatology Physician Assistant | 19 | 2 |
| Psychiatric Physician Assistant | 14 | 2 |
| Orthopedic Physician Assistant | 28 | 2.5 |
| Cardiology Physician Assistant | 12 | 2 |
| Surgical Physician Assistant | 34 | 2 |
| Cardiothoracic Surgery Physician Assistant | 18 | 1 |
Which job title to put on your resume: the titles employers use most, so recruiters and applicant tracking systems search for them: Physician Assistant (359 employers), Physicians Assistant (29 employers), PA-C (24 employers), Urgent Care Physician Assistant (19 employers), Orthopedic Physician Assistant (17 employers).
Source: Owlapply analysis of active US job postings, October 2026. Requirements and duties are grouped by meaning from the postings' own bullet lists and counted once per employer.
Advertised pay, experience and the skills employers ask for: Physician Assistant pay and requirements.
Check your physician assistant resume against a real job posting
- Paste a physician assistant job posting into the job match score tool to see which of its skills your resume is missing.
- Upload your resume to the ATS resume checker to read the text an applicant tracking system gets from it.
Physician Assistant resume sample (text you can copy)
This is the text of the Physician Assistant example above. Paste it into the resume builder and replace the details with your own.
Physician Assistant resume sample
NATALIE BRENNAN
Physician Assistant
Sacramento, CA · (916) 555-0142 · [email protected] · linkedin.com/in/nataliebrennanpa
SUMMARY
NCCPA-certified physician assistant with 4 years in internal medicine and hospital medicine, licensed in California with DEA registration. Sees 22 patients a day for acute and chronic problems, relying on careful clinical assessment, diagnostic test interpretation and patient counseling. Works closely with collaborating physicians and keeps EMR documentation complete by the end of each day.
EXPERIENCE
Physician Assistant, Capitol Valley Medical Group, Sacramento, CA | 08/2023 - Present
- See 22 adult patients a day for acute visits, annual exams and chronic condition follow-ups.
- Perform physical exams and take detailed histories, presenting complex cases to the collaborating physician.
- Interpret labs, ECGs and imaging and adjust treatment plans, closing 95% of result notes within 48 hours.
- Manage chronic disease management for a 900-patient panel, lifting A1c control below 8% from 61% to 72%.
- Counsel patients and families on new medications and preventive care, averaging 4.8/5 on patient surveys.
Hospitalist Physician Assistant, River City Regional Hospital, Sacramento, CA | 09/2022 - 07/2023
- Admitted and followed 12-14 inpatients a day alongside the attending hospitalist.
- Ordered and reviewed labs and imaging, finishing daily progress notes in Epic before noon.
- Completed about 8 discharges a day, including medication reconciliation and follow-up booking.
- Called rapid responses on deteriorating patients and stabilized them until the ICU team arrived.
EDUCATION
Master of Physician Assistant Studies, Physician Assistant Studies, University of the Pacific, Sacramento, CA | 06/2022
SKILLS
Clinical Assessment, Physical Exams, Diagnostic Test Interpretation, Chronic Disease Management, Counseling, EMR Documentation, Epic, Medication Reconciliation, Clinical Judgment, Interpersonal Skills
CERTIFICATIONS
Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C), National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) (07/2022)
Physician Assistant License, Physician Assistant Board of California (08/2022)
DEA Registration, Drug Enforcement Administration (09/2022)
How to write a physician assistant resume
Write a physician assistant resume summary
- Open with PA-C and NCCPA certification, the states you are licensed in and DEA registration, since employers check these first.
- Name your specialty and setting, such as urgent care, a Level II trauma center or a dermatology practice, and your years in it.
- Give your patient volume, such as patients a day or a shift, or cases a month for surgical PAs.
- Mention earlier clinical work, such as EMT or medical assistant years, if you are a newer PA.
Physician Assistant summary (mid level)
NCCPA-certified physician assistant with 4 years in internal medicine and hospital medicine, licensed in California with DEA registration. Sees 22 patients a day for acute and chronic problems, relying on careful clinical assessment, diagnostic test interpretation and patient counseling. Works closely with collaborating physicians and keeps EMR documentation complete by the end of each day.
Surgical Physician Assistant summary (senior level)
Surgical physician assistant with 7 years in general and trauma surgery, acting as first assist on 30+ cases a month, many of them robotic surgery. Runs pre-operative evaluation, inpatient floor care and post-operative care for a 6-surgeon group. NCCPA-certified, Tennessee-licensed and valued by OR teams for strong interpersonal skills.
Write physician assistant experience bullets
- Count patients a day or a shift, and name the case mix: acute, chronic, preventive, pediatric or trauma.
- List the procedures you perform on your own, such as biopsies, laceration repair, joint injections, fracture care or first assisting, with monthly counts.
- Show diagnostic work, since ordering and interpreting tests is the duty employers write most: X-ray, ECG, labs or point-of-care ultrasound.
- Add results you can measure, such as same-day chart completion, quality measures, wait times or programs you started.
Physician Assistant experience bullets
- See 22 adult patients a day for acute visits, annual exams and chronic condition follow-ups.
- Perform physical exams and take detailed histories, presenting complex cases to the collaborating physician.
- Interpret labs, ECGs and imaging and adjust treatment plans, closing 95% of result notes within 48 hours.
- Manage chronic disease management for a 900-patient panel, lifting A1c control below 8% from 61% to 72%.
- Counsel patients and families on new medications and preventive care, averaging 4.8/5 on patient surveys.
Pick the skills for a physician assistant resume
- Communication appears in about 28% of PA postings and interpersonal skills in about 21%; show them through patient education and work with the collaborating physician.
- PA postings name critical thinking (about 7%) far more often than other jobs; list prescribing and back compassion with a patient bullet.
- Add your EMR, such as Epic, and clinical skills specific to your specialty, such as dermoscopy, ECG interpretation or procedural sedation.
Do's and don'ts
Do this
- List PA-C, NCCPA, each state license, DEA registration and BLS or ACLS with dates.
- Put your PA program and graduation year near the top if you finished in the last few years.
- Give patient volume and procedure counts for every clinical job.
- Name rotations that match the job if you are a new graduate, such as family medicine or emergency medicine.
Avoid this
- Don't write "provided patient care" without the setting, volume and procedures.
- Don't leave out licenses in other states or a pending license; employers want to know when you can start.
- Don't list every rotation in full once you have 2 or more years of practice.
- Don't include patient details that break HIPAA.
Related resume examples
- Nurse Practitioner
- Physician
- Physical Therapist
- Pharmacist
- Occupational Therapist
- Registered Nurse
- Medical Assistant
- Dental Assistant
Physician Assistant resume questions
What should I put on a physician assistant resume?
A short summary with your certification and licenses, your clinical jobs with patient volume and procedures, your skills, your PA program and your certifications. Employers most often ask for a degree from an accredited PA program (about 37% of employers), communication and interpersonal skills (about 33%) and a current state license (about 20%).
How do I write a new graduate physician assistant resume?
Of the PA postings that state a number, the median ask is 2 years, but about 40% ask for 1 year or less, so new graduates have real options. Lead with your PA program, NCCPA status and license, then list clinical rotations with setting, patient volume and procedures. Add earlier patient care work, such as EMT, medical assistant or scribe jobs.
What skills should a physician assistant resume list?
Communication leads at about 28% of postings and interpersonal skills at about 21%. Working independently appears in about 11%, problem-solving in about 8% and critical thinking in about 7%. Add the clinical skills and procedures of your specialty and your EMR.
Do I need to list NCCPA certification and DEA registration?
Yes. About 10% of employers name current NCCPA certification and about 10% name DEA registration in the requirements, and your PA-C title depends on NCCPA. Put both in a licenses and certifications section with your state license numbers or states and expiry dates.
What goes on an urgent care or emergency medicine PA resume?
Show patients a shift, the procedures you do, such as laceration repair, splinting, incision and drainage or fracture reduction, and the tests you read, such as X-rays and point-of-care ultrasound. Urgent care and emergency medicine PA postings both ask for a median of 2 years. Keep ACLS current and list prior EMT or ED work.
What goes on a surgical or orthopedic physician assistant resume?
Give your first-assist case counts a month, the types of surgery, and your clinic and floor work before and after surgery. Surgical PA postings ask for a median of 2 years and orthopedic PA postings a median of 2.5. Add injections, fracture care and robotic surgery experience if you have them.