Medical work sometimes gets a reputation for being too exhausting, and for requiring too much education, to be worth pursuing. For those who are looking for a medical career that will not burn you out, and which will require much less education to become an active professional, few fields will prove as attractive as becoming a physician assistant. Here are just eight of the top reasons that you should consider pursuing a career as a physician assistant:

1. An Amazing Work/Life Balance

Compared to the majority of medical careers, physician assistants enjoy a fantastic work/life balance. They work fewer hours, have more flexibility when it comes to scheduling, and make a comfortable salary that can help them achieve their lifetime goals. Especially if you have a family, and are looking for a medical career that will not keep you separate from them as your children grow, a job as a physician assistant will be right up your alley.

2. Diverse Job Opportunities

In every state and every imaginable medical setting, physician assistants tend to have a specialty that guides their work. These specialties help to ensure they can treat their patients with the top quality of care available. Because of the diversity of career paths in the physician assistant field, your search for physician assistant job openings will become much, much simpler. If you want a career where you can expand your career path, even years into your work as a physician assistant, this career path is perfect for you.

3. Highly Competitive Salaries

Recent AAPA salary reports put the median salary for physician assistants in the six-figure arena. Few medical jobs will pay you this much for the relatively shorter amount of training you’ll need (more on this later). The competitive nature of salaries in the medical field, especially as the demand for medical workers remains historically high, gives you more bargaining power when you’re being hired, or when you’re looking for a raise that you’ve earned through your hard work.

4. Quicker Training Possibilities

Unlike many other high-paying medical jobs, physician assistants can gain their main training in anywhere between 23-28 months. The residencies and certifications you’ll need afterward will be gained as you’re on the job, so you can start making tons of money, and serving your community, at an incredibly fast rate. If you want to have a satisfying, high-paying medical career, but do not want to be in school until you’re nearly thirty, the physician assistant career path will serve you well.

5. Becoming an Integral Part of Your Community

Physician assistants are a key cog in the medical machine, and without their training and support communities can not receive top-tier medical care. Because you’ll be interacting with so many patients, you will also become a respected, well-known figure in your community. If you’re looking to give back to your community within your career, a medical job is one of the best options available to you.

6. An Excellent Job Market

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, physician assistant jobs increased a whopping 38% between 2012 and 2022. If you want a job market that gives you tons of options, and where you’ll never be straining to find a job that fits your personal and financial needs, it’s hard to beat what the physician assistant career path has to offer you. For those that are looking to raise a family, this perk will prove especially attractive.

7. Start Working with Low Student Debt

Although some consider being a full-on physician to be a wiser financial move, the sheer amount of debt physicians take on during their much lengthier education path greatly diminishes the value of their salary. Because you spend such a short amount of time in the education system when studying to become a physician assistant, you’ll have much less debt, allowing you to pay it off quickly (especially since you’ll likely be making an impressive six-figure salary).

8. Work in a Fast-Paced, Exciting Environment

Nothing is as soul-crushing as a mundane, boring job. Especially if your entire career is bland, even a high salary will not be enough to keep you fully satisfied. Thankfully, physician assistants work in an extremely fast-paced, exciting environment where they are always faced with new challenges and opportunities to improve people’s lives. Because you’ll be improving your patients’ lives in a face-to-face fashion, you’ll have a high level of job satisfaction throughout your career.

Physician Assistant Jobs are Waiting For You

In today’s economy, enjoying a high-paying career with a solid work/life balance is a luxury. If you want to embrace that luxury and serve your community simultaneously, becoming a physician assistant is the way to go. Thanks to the plentiful job opportunities that are available to people chasing this career path, you can access many wonderful scholarships to help you achieve the education you need.