U.S. News & World Report recently published an article declaring physician assistants to be among the top ten “Best Jobs of 2015” based on the profession’s projected job growth rate, job outlook, earnings, and overall job satisfaction. Yet, physician assistants are not just making waves on a national front. According to the United States Department of Labor, physician assistants were also among Hawaii’s top 50 highest-paying occupations of 2015. That year, physician assistants earned an average annual salary of $90,880 and an average hourly wage of $43.69.
As the medical community continues to realize the cost benefits of using physician assistants as primary care providers, the demand for these healthcare professionals is expected to rise. For example, the number of physician assistants working in Hawaii is projected to increase by 16% between 2012 and 2022. As a result, aspiring physician assistants can look forward to approximately 10 annual jobs openings throughout this ten-year timeframe.
In September 2015, the following healthcare employers posted online job advertisements searching for physician assistants in Hawaii:
- CompHealth
- Queen’s Medical Center
- Hawaii Pacific Health
- Dermatology Group
- Weatherby Healthcare
- Hawaii Pain Specialists
- CareOnSite
- Maui Medical Group
Establishing Salary Expectations for Hawaii’s Physician Assistants
In September 2015, the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations found that physician assistants looking for jobs in the state desired the following salaries:
- $95,000 or more: 14.29%
- $80,000-$94,999: 28.57%
- $65,000-$79,999: 14.29%
- Not Specified: 42.86%
Local employers may review these surveys of potential job candidates to determine if preferred salaries fall within the range of the salaries being offered.
Since employers look to hire skilled staff members to provide the best possible healthcare service to their patients, job seeking physician assistants should anticipate future salary offers to reflect their previous work experience. In 2015, the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reported that two-thirds of physician assistant job candidates in the state had more than 10 years of experience.
In 2014, the United States Department of Labor found the most highly experienced, highly trained physician assistants in Hawaii were paid an average annual salary of $116,100 and an average hourly wage of $55.83. Mid-level physician assistants collected an average annual salary closer to $93,100 and an average hourly wage of $44.77, while entry-level workers received an average annual salary of $66,900 and an average hourly wage of $32.14.
Regional Salary Averages for Physician Assistants in Hawaii
In May 2014, the United States Department of Labor released salary statistics showing that physician assistants employed in Honolulu earned an average annual salary of $94,010 and an average hourly wage of $45.20. However, those working in the nonmetropolitan areas of Hawaii/Maui/Kauai earned an average annual salary of $82,610 and an average hourly wage of $39.72: