How to become a physician associate
Official title: Physician associate
Physician associates examine and treat patients under the supervision of a physician. They may prescribe therapy and carry out diagnostic tests.
Main tasks
- Diagnose medical conditions
- Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals
- Examine patients to assess general physical condition
- Analyse test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment
- Record patient medical histories
- Prescribe treatments or therapies
- Prescribe medications
- Order medical diagnostic or clinical tests
How to become one
You need a qualification to become a physician associate. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery or similar from the US, Canada or UK; 2000-3000 hours of work experience overseas; a Physician Associate Master's degree or Postgraduate Diploma from the US, Canada or UK; to pass a PA certification test in the US, Canada or UK. Other requirements: to be a member of the New Zealand Physician Associate Society.
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $89,065 to $106,030 a year (median $96,149), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $75,052 a year · Upper: $121,614 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- People employed in the group General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers: 12,360 at the 2018 Census and 13,311 at the 2023 Census (+7.7%). Past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- In the group General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers, 54% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers work (2023 Census): Auckland 35.3%, Canterbury 13.3%, and Wellington 12%.
Related jobs
- General practitioner
- Neurologist
- Obstetrician and gynaecologist
- Oral and maxillofacial surgeon
- Anaesthetist
- Cardiologist
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Questions people ask
How do I become a physician associate?
You need a qualification to become a physician associate. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery or similar from the US, Canada or UK; 2000-3000 hours of work experience overseas; a Physician Associate Master's degree or Postgraduate Diploma from the US, Canada or UK; to pass a PA certification test in the US, Canada or UK. Other requirements: to be a member of the New Zealand Physician Associate Society.
How much does a physician associate earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $96,149 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $89,065 to $106,030 a year.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine 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. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026