Nevada was the top paying state in the country for physician assistants in 2014 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job prospects for physician assistants in Nevada are considered so promising that the state’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) listed it as the 39th most in-demand job in Nevada. The criteria to make this list included occupations that:
- Are growing faster than average
- Pay more than the average wage for all occupations
- Have at least 20 job openings a year
- Had employment of at least 200 in 2012
Factors Contributing to High Salaries and Job Growth for Nevada’s PAs
The number of physician assistants is expected to increase dramatically both nationally and in the state of Nevada. The DETR expects a job growth rate of 26.4% for PAs in the state between 2012 and 2022. Part of the reason for this high level of growth is the fact that physician assistants are able to provide quality medical care in underserved rural areas that lack an adequate number of physicians.
The number of physicians per capita is extremely low in Nevada compared to the national average. In fact, the Center for Workforce Studies of the Association of American Medical Colleges ranked the state 48th in a 2012 report on physician shortages in the US.
Stakeholders have come to see the value of physician assistants when it comes to providing quality medical care at a reduced cost, and have been working to reduce the scope of practice restrictions placed on these skilled medical professionals.
Both experienced and entry-level physician assistants in Nevada earned substantially more than the national average reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nevada’s physician assistants earning in the 90th percentile made an average of $177,674 a year as of 2015 according to the state’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR). These experienced physician assistants earned an average of $42,954 more than the national average for this bracket. Entry-level physician assistants in Nevada earning in the 10th percentile averaged $80,246 a year—$16,146 more than the national average for this bracket. The median salary among physician assistants in Nevada was $94,682 as of 2015.
Physician Assistant Salaries in Nevada According to Location
The average salary of experienced professionals in the 90th percentile located in the Carson City areas was so high that it exceeded the maximum value reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics:
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics presents a full analysis of salaries for physician assistants in Nevada’s major metropolitan areas as of 2014. The salaries of experienced professionals in the Las Vegas and Carson City areas were so high that they exceeded the maximum values reported:
*The hourly wage is equal to or greater than $90 while the annual salary is equal to or greater than $187,199. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report salary data greater than these values.