Physician Assistants, Career Planning, Part-Time Practice

The Part-Time Practice Math (And Why It Surprises Most PAs)

Let me run three models. All part-time. All using your existing PA certification. No new degrees.

Model 1: Aesthetic Medicine

One day a week. Six patients at $400 average. That's $2,400 per day.

Two days a week: $4,800. Monthly: $19,200 gross.

Overhead: room rental ($400), supplies ($300), malpractice ($200). Net: ~$18,300/month.

At one day a week — $9,600/month gross. That's a six-figure part-time income annualized before you've left your day job.

Model 2: Weight Management Telehealth

Forty patients enrolled in a $300/month program. Monthly recurring revenue: $12,000.

No physical space. GLP-1 prescriptions within PA scope in most states. Overhead: EHR ($200), compounding pharmacy relationship (negotiated), malpractice ($200). Net: ~$11,600/month.

Grow to 60 patients: $18,000/month recurring. Still no office. Still part-time hours.

Model 3: Direct Primary Care

150 patients at $150/month membership fee. Monthly: $22,500.

Panel size is roughly one-tenth of a traditional primary care practice. No insurance billing. No prior authorizations. No billing department.

Overhead is low: DPC-specific EHR (~$500/month), malpractice, modest supplies. Net approaches $21,000/month on a schedule you design.

Many PAs only discover the real trade-offs of part-time work after seeing the full breakdown on paper.

What the Math Actually Shows

None of these models require a full clinic. None require leaving your current job to start. None require large upfront capital.

What they require: a clear niche, the right pricing structure, and a legal foundation built correctly for your state.

The math of a cash-based practice looks fundamentally different from the math most PAs are used to. In a volume model, income is a function of patient count. In a cash model, it's a function of how you structure what you offer.

Most PAs underprice when they start. They've spent their careers in systems where the billing department handles that conversation. In a cash-based practice, you set the number. That shift alone is worth working through deliberately.