Some say physician assistants will eventually replace primary care physicians, as they are cheaper and almost act as autonomous providers. However, be aware that their training is 1/3 shorter. It is the minority of patients that present “outside the cookbook” that MDs are paid and trained to treat:
But as a physician, you’re going to be paid for your ability to handle the ten percent of cases that aren’t bread and butter and don’t follow a neat algorithm. Additionally, even the easy patients have the potential to turn difficult. It is in this respect that your knowledge and extra training are going to come into play, managing the cascading complexities of difficult patient.
