If PA’s Start Moving Away from Urgent Care, It Won’t Be Because of the Money

Physician assistants and nurse practitioners have become essential members of the urgent care clinical team. In some instances, they head the clinical team, and run their own urgent care operations. The desire to practice medicine in a unique environment isn’t the only draw for PAs, however. As reported by Becker’s Hospital Review, urgent care PAs rank third on the list of top 10 highest-compensated practice settings. Quoting information from the 2022 Advanced Practice Provider Compensation and Productivity Survey, Becker’s notes that urgent care PAs earn an average of $134,763 in annual compensation, trailing only those working in cardiothoracic surgery ($142,374) and emergency medicine ($141,050). Dermatology ($134,163) and orthopedic surgery – general ($132,421) round out the top five. The list reflects total cash compensation in nearly 700 healthcare organizations between January 1 and  December 31, 2021.