Explore occupational profile

Version:
OaSIS 2025 Version 1.0
Search the OaSIS

31303.01 – Physician Assistants

Physician assistants provide a range of health services to patients delivering preventive and continuous care toward the management of patients' health.

Overview

Example job titles

  • Physician assistant

Core competencies

  • Critical Thinking, Decision Making and Problem Solving to make informed and accurate decisions, analyze and solve complex health problems, discuss the effectiveness of treatments with physicians and collaborate effectively with healthcare teams
  • Social Perceptiveness to develop rapport with patients, communicate effectively, understand diverse perspectives and support patients to make informed decisions
  • Problem Identification and Inductive Reasoning to perform diagnostic tests and review results to identify indicators of disease or illness
  • Verbal Ability and Speech Clarity to clearly communicate with patients and healthcare teams to effectively explain the implications of diagnoses and instructions for treatment plans
  • Attention to Detail to detect subtle symptoms and interpret deviations from normal in diagnostic tests to ensure high-quality patient care and safety
  • Knowledge in Physical Health to provide informed medical care, promote preventive health measures and collaborate effectively with healthcare teams to optimize patient outcomes

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  • Conduct patient interviews, physical assessments and take medical histories
  • Perform or order diagnostic tests and interpret results
  • In consultation with a supervising physician, formulate and implement treatment plans and monitor patients' progress
  • Perform and assist in minor surgery
  • Provide health maintenance education
  • May participate in research activities
  • May prescribe from a limited list of medications.

Additional information

  • There is no mobility between these occupations without further training.

Similar occupations classified elsewhere

Exclusions:

  • General practitioners and family physicians (31102)
  • Managers in health care (30010)
  • Nurse practitioners (31302)
  • Other practitioners of natural healing (32209)
  • Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating (31209)
  • Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301)
  • Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine (31100)
  • Specialists in surgery (31101)
  • Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists (32200)

NOC hierarchy breakdown

NOC version

NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Broad occupational category

3 – Health occupations

TEER

1 – Occupations usually require a university degree

Major group

31 – Professional occupations in health

Sub-major group

313 – Nursing and allied health professionals

Minor group

3130 – Nursing and allied health professionals

Unit group

31303 – Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals

Occupational profile

31303.01 – Physician Assistants

O*NET in-it

This page includes information from the O*NET 27.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Employment and Social Development Canada has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.