Last Updated on October 14, 2021 by admin
Durham, located north west of Raleigh, in central North Carolina, is considered part of the Research Triangle Region, well-known for its tech companies and good schools. When we’re talking about institutions of higher learning there’s no getting past Duke University campus with its neo-Gothic Duke Chapel and history going back to 1838 (the school moved to Durham in 1892).
The Triangle region of North Carolina has seen tremendous growth in the last decade. Wake, Durham and Johnston counties which make up a majority of the area have all seen their populations increase with between 20 and 30% between the 2010 and 2020 census reports. There lived around one million people in the triangle region in 1990, and in 2020 this had grown to over 2.1 million people – more than doubling over thirty years.
Education
For PA studies in Durham there’s the Duke Physician Assistant Program – by many actually considered to be the birth place of the profession itself! The school, Duke University School of Medicine, was established in 1930 and is the youngest of the nation’s top tier med schools.
Here are three alumnis’ take on their experience at the school.
Job Opportunities
Once you’re done with school and finally graduated as a bona fide, certified PA you may want to look for a job in the area. Since this is right smack in the middle of the Research Triangle there is an active and thriving jobs market for physician assistants in the city.
Indeed lists 151 jobs within 25 miles of the city. Some are research positions at major hospitals, but most are regular PA jobs in the area.
How much can a Physician Assistant expect to make in Durham, NC?
Salary is always a consideration when taking a position. Glass Door lists the base pay for a PA in Durham at $110,000. Keep in mind that this is an average based on anonymous people sending in their salaries to the site, and compensation can vary from $88,000 on the low end to $140,000 on the high end.
Salary.com has the medium physician assistant salary in Durham listed at $106,000 which is within a few percentage points of glassdoor. Keep in mind that medical professionals get compensated based on a myriad of factors, like specialty, type of position, years in the profession and demand.
The government also keeps data on salaries with its Bureau of Labor Statistics, and they have the annual mean wage around Durham-Chapel Hill listed at $109,000 for May 2020.
Further reading: North Carolina PA Programs
