Physician: main tradeoff

Extremely long training and high opportunity cost are balanced by durable demand and a projected national physician shortage.

Physician Assistant: main tradeoff

High pay, strong growth, and a much shorter training path than physician make PA unusually attractive, though graduate education and clinical intensity remain significant.

Which should you choose?

Physician Assistant has the higher projected 2024–2034 growth rate. The larger decision is whether you prefer the training path, work style, and occupation-specific tradeoffs of Physician or Physician Assistant.