Professionals searching for financially stable jobs in the health care industry often gravitate towards physician assisting. According to the United States Department of Labor, physician assistants were named among Vermont’s top 25 fastest-growing, highest-paying occupations in 2014.
Salary studies conducted by the federal government confirmed that the Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area awarded notably high salaries to physician assistants. In 2014, this region was the highest-paying nonmetropolitan area for physician assistants in the country. Physician assistants employed here received an annual average salary of $118,800 and an average hourly wage of $57.11.
Job Prospects and Salary Expectations for Physician Assistants in Vermont
As of 2014, the United States Department of Labor found Vermont held the fifth highest concentration of physician assistant jobs in the country. That year, physician assistants statewide earned an average annual salary of $107,050 and an average hourly wage of $51.47.
The health care community is becoming more confident placing physician assistants in the role of primary care givers, which is triggering career expansion in Vermont. Government occupational projections indicate the number of physician assistants practicing in the state will increase by 23% during this ten-year period.
In 2015, the following healthcare employers advertised jobs for physician assistants in Vermont through online job aggregation sites:
- Mount Ascutney Hospital and Health Center
- Champlain Medical Urgent Care
- Genesis HealthCare
- University of Vermont Medical Center
- Biologic Healthcare
- Northwestern Medical Center
- Department of Veteran Affairs
- Fletcher Allen Health Care
In 2014, salary statistics released by the United States Department of Labor indicated the following salaries in Vermont according to experience level:
- Entry-level physician assistants earned an average annual salary of $81,800 and an average hourly wage of $39.33.
- Physician assistants with mid-level experience netted an average annual salary of $100,900 and an average hourly wage of $48.49.
- The most accomplished physician assistants received an average annual salary of $144,900 and an average hourly wage of $69.64.
Locating the Highest Physician Assistant Salaries in Vermont
Part of the struggle to find high-paying physician assistant job in Vermont is learning where to look, since not all areas offer the same pay rates. For instance, in 2014, the United States Department of Labor found physician assistants working in the Northern nonmetropolitan area took home an average annual salary of $95,950, while those employed in the Burlington-South Burlington area collected a much greater average annual salary of $104,200.
Additional regional salary information for physician assistants in Vermont is provided in the data table below (US Department of Labor, 2014):