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Air Force AFSC · Medical

42GX Physician Assistant

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

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Overview

A physician assistant examines, diagnoses, and treats diseases and injuries while providing comprehensive medical care to Airmen and their families. The physician assistant also manages inpatient and outpatient care as part of Air Force healthcare teams worldwide.

Core Skills

  • Inpatient and outpatient care management
  • Clinical instruction for medical and nonmedical personnel
  • Continuing care for assigned patient populations

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Physician Assistants

Military experience examining, diagnosing and treating patients while managing inpatient and outpatient care directly overlaps civilian physician assistant practice.

How to prepare: Compare your existing PA education, certification and license with the intended state's licensing rules and employer requirements to identify any gaps. All states require PA licensure and a qualifying exam, and most states require an agreement with a supervising physician and physician collaboration in practice.

What the civilian work involves
  • Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
  • Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.
  • Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Epic Systems
  • eClinicalWorks EHR software
  • MEDITECH software

Notes & Sources

Evidence for this guidance (3 documents)
  1. DAFOCD, 30 Apr 26: PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (42GX)

    [1] Specialty Summary section "PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT"; normalized cached text lines 6191-6212; family-level section (42G4, 42G3, 42G1)

    Supports: Inpatient and outpatient care management, Clinical instruction for medical and nonmedical personnel, Continuing care for assigned patient populations, Physician Assistants (O*NET 29-1071.00)

  2. O*NET: Physician Assistants

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Physician Assistants (O*NET 29-1071.00)

  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics: physician assistants

    [3] How to Become One; retrieved 23 September 2026

    Supports: Physician Assistants (O*NET 29-1071.00)

Defense contractor jobs for 42GX

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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