Dermatology Physician assistants are healthcare professionals who are not trained as dermatologists in Medical school but assist dermatologists in carrying out physical examinations on patients when they come into the dermatology clinic. As a patient, there is a chance that you would see the dermatology physician’s assistant instead of the dermatologist. If you are wondering how much this group of healthcare professionals earn, and what qualifies them to practice as physician’s assistants, this article would supply you with the information you need. Let us know more about Salaries for Dermatology PA in Los Angeles.
According to ziprecruiter.com, Dermatology Physician assistants in Los Angeles, California earn an average salary of $150,000 annually. If we are to break this down to hourly wages, this amounts to $68 hourly and $2500 weekly wages.
Salaries for Dermatology Physician Assistants
Some Dermatology Physician assistants earn higher salaries up to $148,000 annually, while other dermatology physician assistants earn significantly lower salaries than the average salary. According to ZipRecruiter, the lowest reported salary of a dermatology physician’s assistant in the USA is about $23,000 annually. Some factors account for the discrepancies in the salaries of dermatology physician’s assistants, and we would be discussing some of these discrepancies.
Factors affecting the Salaries of a Dermatology Physician’s Assistant
1. Experience: The number of years you have spent practicing as a dermatology physician’s assistant is a huge determining factor in the wages you would earn. A dermatology Physician assistants with fifteen years of experience and above are in the 90th percentile of highest earning dermatology physician’s assistants in the USA. With 20+ years of experience as a dermatology physician’s assistant, you would earn $100,000 and above as your yearly salary.
2. Geographical location where you practice as a dermatology physician’s assistant: Your yearly salary as a dermatology physician’s assistant depends on the city where you work. Ziprecruiter lists Atkinson, Nevada, Boston, Massachusetts, Santa Monica, California, Bridgehampton, New York, Deer Park, California, and Juneau, Alaska as the top paying cities for dermatology assistants in the USA. It is however advisable for you to consider the cost of living in the cities mentioned above, before applying for a job there as a dermatology physician’s assistant. In Atkinson you earn $78 hourly, in Boston, you earn $66, in Bridgehampton you earn $68 hourly, in Deer park you earn $65 hourly and in Juneau you earn $64.69 hourly as a dermatology physician assistant.
Taxes for dermatology physician’s assistants
Dermatology physician’s assistants in the USA pay about 22% of their annual salary as social security, Federal income tax, and State income tax. As a dermatology physician’s assistant, you should take these taxes into account when planning your monthly budget, and also plan the amount of your student loan payment per year against your anticipated income as a dermatology physician’s assistant.
How to become a dermatology physician’s Assistant?
For you to be able to be considered for employment as a dermatology physician’s assistant in the USA, you must have a college degree in science subjects like biology, and chemistry. After you have graduated from college with a science degree, you would have to undergo another year of required courses for you to be licensed as a dermatology physician’s assistant. After that, it is time for you to gain practical experience in dermatology, by working with patients who come into the clinic. Physician’s Assistant programs require students to complete at least 1000 hours of Patient experience, what that means is that you would have to see patients for a minimum of 1000 hours. After you have completed your physician’s assistant training program, you would have to take a certification examination that is conducted by the NCCPA (which is an acronym for the National Commission on Certification of Physician’s Assistants). After you have written and passed the certification examination, you would be licensed and be allowed to practice as a dermatology physician’s assistant in the USA.
Duties of a Dermatology Physician’s Assistant
The duties of dermatology physician’s assistants are:
– Performing skin examinations like psoriasis (skin cancer) screening examination.
– Provide information about disease preventive care of the skin to the patient.
– Perform routine procedures like Botox injections which do not require a dermatologist to perform.
– Prescribe treatment for conditions like acne, and eczema.
– Assist the dermatologist in surgical procedures like invasive skin surgeries and deep chemical peels.
Demand for Dermatology Physician’s Assistants in the USA
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is an average of 12,200 job openings for dermatology physician assistants each year. The BLS also predicts that the amount of dermatology physician’s assistants in the USA is expected to grow by 31% by the year 2030. So, the demand for dermatology physician’s assistants in the USA is quite high.
Conclusion
Becoming a physician’s assistant is hard, but it is very fulfilling. Not only would you make a good salary as a dermatology resident, but you would also be respected. On your way to becoming a dermatology Physician’s assistant, you would have to sit for several examinations both in college and while you sit for your certification examination, but the entire sacrifice is worth it as this article has explained how much you would likely earn in wages and salaries as a dermatology resident.
FAQs
1. Can my gender affect my salary as a dermatology resident?
No, it can’t. Institutions do not consider the gender remuneration of dermatology residents. Although like every other profession, there are claims of gender bias in the remuneration of dermatology physician’s assistants, those claims have not been substantiated, and are not enough to conclude that there is gender bias in the payment of dermatology physician’s assistants.
2. Can I skip any step mentioned above to become a dermatology resident?
No, you cannot. For you to become a dermatology physician’s assistant you would have to take every step mentioned.
3. Can a dermatology physician’s assistant be allowed to see Patients unsupervised?
Yes, dermatology physician’s assistants can be allowed to see patients unsupervised if they are experienced and if the dermatologist is confident in their abilities. In cases like that, they are allowed to prescribe medication for skin diseases, carry out minor skin surgeries, and even carry out general consultations in dermatology.
