Arztassistent/Arztassistentin / Physician Assistant

Key media sources for this profession include: aerzteblatt.de, Ärzte Zeitung - Online Magazin, AWMF online - Portal of Scientific Medicine, DMW Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift, e:Med Systemmedizin, medizininfo-wundversorgung.de, MEDI-LEARN - For Medical Students, Applicants & Young Doctors, MMW - Advances in Medicine, MTA Dialog, PAAM-Projekt (Physician Assistants in General Medicine), Physician Assistant. Specialist Magazine for Applied Medical Science, Springer Medizin - The Specialist Portal for Doctors, Via medici.

Inpatient and outpatient care is becoming increasingly digital and uses more intelligent technology, such as E-Health, technical assistance systems, and telematics. In pilot studies, care facilities are testing care robots that support nursing staff, as well as service robots that accompany people in need of care, for example, through the building. The increased use of technology also changes work, communication, and decision-making processes. Therefore, nursing staff must continuously educate themselves to stay up-to-date.

The following interests are important and helpful for success in this academic profession. Interests are listed in order of importance. Activities are provided for illustration for each interest area. Interest in practical-concrete activities: e.g., performing minor procedures such as taking blood, closing wounds, or applying bandages; operating medical-technical devices, apparatus, and machines; repositioning patients in the preparation room. Interest in administrative-organizational activities: e.g., completing surgical and nursing documentation; designing treatment plans; organizing the transfer of patients. Interest in social-advisory activities: e.g., empathetically informing patients about planned diagnostic and therapeutic measures; sensitively engaging with patients when taking preliminary medical history. Interest in theoretical-abstract activities: e.g., assessing physical and psychological condition.

Physician Assistants primarily work in hospital wards, examination and patient rooms, operating theaters, sterilization and recovery rooms, practice rooms, and patients' private homes (during home visits).

Core competencies acquired or deepened during the Studium (university studies) include: General medicine (nursing, assistance), anatomy, surgery (nursing, assistance), dialysis (nursing, assistance), internal medicine (nursing, assistance), intensive care medicine (nursing, assistance), hospital information systems - KIS, medical documentation, operating room services (assistance), patient care. Further competencies that may be significant for practicing this profession include: Billing, anesthesia (nursing, assistance), blood sampling, office and administrative work, diagnosis, endoscopy (nursing, assistance), medical terminology, fee schedule for doctors (GOÄ), health pedagogy, -counseling, health prevention, health sciences, indication, hospital/practice hygiene, pathology, emergency medicine (non-medical), patient admission, -administration, pharmacology, practice management systems - PVS, rescue measures, first aid, wound care. Other relevant skills and knowledge: Competence group "Health Administration and Practice Software."

The progressive digitalization of the world of work and professions can change task areas and requirement profiles. For Physician Assistants, there may be an opportunity to deal with the following technologies, procedures, or systems: Electronic Patient Record - ePA (e.g., electronically recording and transmitting medical diagnoses, lab values, and other health data to enable optimally networked healthcare), AI Agents (e.g., having AI agents monitor patient data to coordinate and send appointments for routine examinations), Hospital Information Systems - KIS (e.g., recording, processing, and distributing medical and administrative data with hospital information systems), Practice Management Systems - PVS (e.g., organizing examinations and monitoring treatment plans with the help of practice management systems), Telemedicine (e.g., informing patients in an online video consultation).

Arztassistenten (Physician Assistants) take on medical and organizational tasks as instructed by doctors. Dealing with patients requires a high degree of responsibility. During examinations, treatments, and documentation tasks, a careful, precise, and concentrated way of working is essential. Physician Assistants must be able to cope with psychological burdens, such as severe illnesses or the death of a patient. They work closely with medical and nursing staff. Empathy is important as many patients experience fear or uncertainty before an operation. They maintain confidentiality regarding patient data. When assisting doctors in surgical procedures or treating wounds, they strictly adhere to work and hygiene regulations and wear sterile work clothing such as disposable gloves, lab coats, trousers, and scrubs.

No collective bargaining agreement information is available.

Healthcare sector; hospitals (e.g., general hospitals, specialized and university clinics); specialist practices (e.g., group practices, medical care centers, doctor's offices); general medicine practices (e.g., rural practices).

Those who wish to work in this field generally need a completed undergraduate (grundständig) degree in Medical Assistance.

Medical Assistance (undergraduate - grundständig); Medical Assistance (postgraduate - weiterführend).

Arztassistenten (Physician Assistants) find employment in general hospitals, specialized or university clinics; in outpatient settings (e.e.g., group practices, medical care centers, doctor's offices); and, if applicable, in blood or plasma donation centers.

Job Title: Arztassistent/in / Physician Assistant. Also common job title/synonym: Medizinassistent/in. Job title in English: Physician assistant (m/f).

Employees in community and medical facilities must provide proof of their measles vaccination or immunity, if born after 1970, in accordance with the Infection Protection Act.

Some characteristics of work and social behavior are relevant for all professions and are therefore not mentioned separately. These include: reliability, punctuality, honesty, ability to criticize, and appropriate manners. In addition, the following profession-specific characteristics are required to practice this academic (Studium) profession: Willingness to perform and commit (e.g., willingness to take on additional shift, night, or on-call duties in the hospital during staffing shortages), diligence (e.g., precise and exact work during examinations or surgical procedures), sense of responsibility and willingness to take responsibility (e.g., careful observance of hygiene regulations to prevent infections), independent working style (e.g., independently organizing and coordinating work processes during patient admissions or patient transfers), discretion (e.g., maintaining silence about medical history and personal information in general).

Arztassistenten and Arztassistentinnen, or Physician Assistants, perform patient-related activities under medical direction and carry out medical-organizational tasks.

Job and applicant portals: DocCheck Jobs, Fédération Hospitalière de France, Gesundheit.Jobs, kliniken.de, krankenhaus-stellen.de, medicaltopjobs.de, Medi-Karriere, Medische Vacaturebank, medizinerkarriere.de, Medizinischer-Stellenmarkt.de, praktischArztpraxisstellen.ch, StaffSanté.fr, valmedi.de.

Associations and organizations: Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege (BGW), Bundesärztekammer, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Physician Assistants e.V., Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft (DKG) e.V., Deutscher Hochschulverband Physician Assistant (DHPA) e.V., Marburger Bund, ver.di - Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft.

Physician Assistants bear responsibility for individuals (e.g., wound care, adhering to hygiene regulations). They deal with sick and injured people, which can involve emotionally challenging situations and tasks (e.g., managing patients' pain, fears, and shame). They perform precision and detailed work (e.g., suturing lacerations). They engage in group and teamwork (e.g., collaborating with doctors and medical/nursing staff in clinics, hospitals, and doctor's offices). They work with technical devices, machines, and equipment (e.g., ultrasound and monitoring devices). They perform computer work (e.g., creating surgical reports and discharge letters, accessing and editing patient files with specialized practice software). They wear protective clothing and equipment (e.g., sterile disposable gloves, lab coats, and face masks). They work in medical facilities/practices, involving close physical contact with people (e.g., changing dressings, positioning patients on the operating table). There is a risk of infection, and they may be on call or standby duty.

Professional deployment opportunities are categorized by fields of activity: teaching at universities, lecturer at universities and academies, research assistant, study program coordinator, scientific research, research officer, head of a research group.

A central part of the work of Physician Assistants is examining, treating, and advising sick and care-dependent individuals. They use the following work tools: Medical devices, such as blood pressure and blood sugar monitors, ultrasound devices, monitoring monitors, suction and ventilation devices, vacuum pumps; medications and medical products, such as infusion solutions, pain relievers, ointments, dressing materials, drapes, scalpels, clamps, scissors, wound retractors, cannulas, disinfectants, and sterilization agents; documents, such as (electronic) surgical/patient files, doctor's letters, treatment plans, surgical protocols, handling and procedure specifications, quality guidelines, hygiene regulations; and office equipment, such as PCs, internet access, telephones.

Physician Assistants support doctors under medical supervision, for example, in clinics and outpatient settings, with delegable medical tasks. They treat wounds, draw blood, insert venous cannulas, prepare patients for operations, and assist during procedures. Furthermore, they care for patients on the ward, advise them, provide information about procedures and measures, explain findings, and participate in ward rounds. They conduct anamneses and examinations, propose treatment plans, and perform organizational-administrative tasks such as transferring patients or documenting findings.

Continuing education for adaptation helps to keep professional knowledge current and to adapt to new developments (e.g., in the areas of medical-technical assistance, operating room services, or medical documentation). Furthermore, the trend towards the digitalization of care can become an important continuing education topic for Physician Assistants.

Bachelor graduates can expand their professional and career opportunities through further Studium (advanced studies), for example, in Medical Assistance or Nursing Management/Science. A doctorate is generally required for a scientific career at a university; for appointment as a university professor, a Habilitation (postdoctoral qualification) is usually needed. A doctorate may also facilitate access to higher professional positions in the private sector, research, and public administration.

Physician Assistants perform delegable medical tasks. These include drawing blood, wound care (after initial treatment by doctors), inserting venous cannulas, and determining diabetes values. They assist in complex examinations and procedures, and monitor dialyses. In outpatient settings, upon delegation by the general practitioner, they may conduct home visits. They perform assistance tasks in the operating room: preparing patients, connecting them to (monitoring) devices, disinfecting intervention sites, and sterilely covering patients. During operations, they assist, for example, by holding wound edges open, suctioning fluids, and closing minor surgical wounds. They care for and advise patients, and take anamneses. They communicate appropriately with patients, for instance, by providing information about procedures, diagnoses, and therapies. They conduct admission interviews. They perform preliminary anamneses and examinations, and prepare treatment plans, for example, prior to patient consultations by doctors. They also carry out organizational tasks.

Physician Assistants perform patient-related medical tasks and handle medical-organizational duties under medical instruction. They take on tasks that do not fall under the so-called 'Arztvorbehalt' (doctor's reservation), meaning they are not strictly required to be performed by doctors. This allows doctors to focus on their core competencies. In hospitals, Physician Assistants can work in almost all departments – from surgical to internal medicine, neurology, pediatrics, or gerontology wards. For example, they draw blood, assist in complex examinations and emergency treatments, or monitor dialyses. In wound management, they perform tasks such as applying vacuum dressings, removing drains, or closing wounds.

The following abilities, knowledge, and skills are required for performing possible activities in this academic profession. These include figural-spatial thinking (e.g., understanding and interpreting X-rays, CT scans, or ultrasound images), observational accuracy (e.g., perceiving indirect patient reactions), sustained attention (e.g., monitoring patients during procedures), memory (e.g., remembering individuals and their medical history), adaptability (e.g., quickly switching between different activities and patients), finger dexterity (e.g., giving injections; suturing lacerations), manual dexterity (e.g., performing medical examinations such as measuring pulse and blood pressure, palpating body areas), reaction speed (e.g., reacting correctly and quickly in medical emergencies, especially in life-threatening situations), and eye-hand coordination (e.g., suctioning fluids in the operating room).

The exercise of this profession may entail the following physical requirements. This information may not necessarily apply to every job profile or every professional deployment possibility. These include resilience of the spine, legs, arms, and hands (e.g., repositioning patients in the operating room sluice), physical strength (e.g., lifting patients in the operating room sluice), physical endurance (e.g., during long-lasting operations), robust health (e.g., contact with infectious patients), functionality of the arms and hands (e.g., applying bandages, working with surgical instruments), fine motor skills of the hands and fingers (e.g., performing blood draws; precision and delicate work in the application of minimally invasive surgical methods), undisturbed speech ability (e.g., caring for patients before and after operations), near vision – even corrected (e.g., handing or positioning desired instruments during operations; performing injections), and spatial vision (e.g., assisting in minor procedures).

The following lists professions or activities that show similarities to the initial profession. These professions represent a possible alternative for applicants who cannot find a vacant position in their learned profession. Furthermore, employers can consider specialists in these professions as alternatives for filling a position in the initial profession. Some alternative professions only comprise partial activities of the initial profession, while others require an induction period, which can vary in length in individual cases. The following immediate employment and staffing alternatives are available for the profession of Physician Assistant: Job and staffing alternatives with a lower qualification level include: Operating Room Technician, Operating Room Assistant, Non-medical Practice Assistant. A list of all possible degrees of relatedness can be found on BERUFENET.

The activity as a Physician Assistant is not regulated. To work in this profession with a qualification acquired abroad, no professional recognition is necessary. However, there is the possibility to apply for an individual credential evaluation for foreign higher education degrees through the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). This can be helpful for applications in the German labor market. Further information on living and working in Germany: Hotline Working and Living in Germany - central information hotline of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the Federal Employment Agency (BA); For people from abroad - an information service of the Federal Employment Agency; Central International and Specialist Placement Service of the Federal Employment Agency; Make it in Germany - The welcome portal of the skilled labor initiative for international skilled workers.

The following health restrictions could lead to problems when performing this profession. This information may not necessarily apply to every activity profile or every professional deployment possibility. Increasingly, there are also ways to compensate for limitations, for example, with technical aids. Restricted resilience of the spine, legs, arms, and hands (e.g., repositioning patients in the operating room sluice), muscle weakness, lack of muscle strength (e.g., lifting patients in the operating room sluice), lack of physical endurance (e.g., during long-lasting operations), susceptibility to infection, chronic infectious diseases (e.g., contact with infectious patients), restricted functionality of arms and hands (e.g., applying bandages, working with surgical instruments), restricted fine motor skills of hands and fingers (e.g., performing blood draws; precision and delicate work when applying minimally invasive surgical methods), speech disorder, speech impediments (e.g., communicating with patients).