Also called: Army 65D, Interservice PA Program (IPAP)
Officer-level medical provider who diagnoses and treats patients, often as the main medical provider for a battalion.
Army PAs run sick call, treat injuries in the field, and supervise medics. The IPAP program lets enlisted troops earn a master's PA degree for free while being paid. Civilian PAs earn a median around $133k.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for officers O-1 (2nd Lieutenant/Ensign) to O-5 (Lieutenant Colonel/Commander), 2026 estimate. A 20-year career also earns a lifetime pension starting right after retirement.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Enlisted members can apply to the ~29-month Interservice Physician Assistant Program, which awards a master's degree. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, Graduate school. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Physician Assistant Studies, Biology, Health Sciences.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Low risk for 10 years. AI aids diagnosis; running sick call and treating soldiers in the field stay human.
Classes: AP Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy & physiology.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.