Premier PA Opportunities in the Peach State's Growing Healthcare Market. This page is maintained by Blake Moser, founder of Advanced Practice Recruiters in Tyler, Texas. APR places physician assistants exclusively — surgical, primary care, hospitalist, EM, dermatology, orthopedic, and procedural specialties. Below is what you need to evaluate the Georgia PA market: salary ranges, the supervision framework, where active hiring is concentrated, and how the search actually runs.
Georgia is one of the fastest-growing states in the Southeast, and its healthcare market is expanding rapidly to serve a growing and diverse population. Atlanta's world-class medical infrastructure, including Emory Healthcare, Piedmont Healthcare, and Grady Memorial Hospital, provides physician assistants with access to some of the most sophisticated clinical environments in the South.
Beyond Atlanta, Georgia's expanding suburban communities and rural healthcare networks create PA demand across the entire state. Areas like Savannah, Augusta, and Macon offer strong healthcare markets with more affordable cost of living compared to the metro Atlanta area.
Georgia operates under a supervision model for PAs, requiring a delegation agreement with a supervising physician. Despite this requirement, many Georgia PAs practice with significant clinical autonomy, particularly in hospital settings and specialty practices. Georgia's warm climate, vibrant cities, and strong economic growth continue to attract PA talent from across the nation.
PA base salaries in our Georgia searches cluster around $118K, with most offers landing between $100K and $140K. Total compensation typically runs 10–25% above base once productivity bonuses, call pay, sign-on, relocation, CME, malpractice, and retirement match are included. Cost of living in Georgia sits near national average — material for translating an offer into actual purchasing power.
The factors that move offers most: subspecialty (surgical first-assist, neurosurgery, cardiovascular, EM, dermatology, and orthopedic spine/sports run at the top end), post-certification experience, the supervision model described below, urban-versus-rural placement, employer model (academic system, private group, hospital employment, FQHC, telehealth), wRVU structure, call frequency, and any NCCPA Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ).
Reference data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Physician Assistants (OOH) publishes the national mean wage and Georgia state-area estimates; AAPA Compensation Resources and the NCCPA Statistical Profile track specialty and credentialing breakdowns.
Supervision model: Required Supervision. Georgia requires direct physician supervision for physician assistants. PAs must maintain a written supervision agreement, may face a ratio cap per supervising physician, and may have additional limits on prescribing Schedule II–V controlled substances or signing certain orders. The hiring conversation usually centers on supervisor bandwidth, ratio room, and which procedures need cosignature.
Georgia PAs are licensed by the Georgia Composite Medical Board. A physician delegation agreement is required to practice. PAs can prescribe medications including controlled substances within the scope of their delegation agreement. NCCPA certification must be maintained for licensure.
The metros and regions where we are most often opening PA searches:
Recurring employer relationships in Georgia include Emory Healthcare, Piedmont Healthcare, Wellstar Health System, Grady Health System, Augusta University Health, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Navicent Health, plus a long tail of regional health systems, surgical and dermatology groups, orthopedic private practices, urgent-care networks, FQHCs, and telehealth platforms credentialed in Georgia. Procedural and surgical PA roles tend to pay above the state average; rural and Critical Access roles often carry a sign-on or geographic premium.
Every search opens with a 20-minute call to nail down the role: scope, NCCPA certification + any CAQ, procedural case mix, supervision arrangement under Georgia law, geographic flexibility within the state, and the realistic compensation envelope. From there we work the active and passive PA pool — verifying PA-C status with NCCPA, Georgia licensure (or licensure-eligibility), DEA, malpractice history, and recent procedural logs for surgical or interventional roles — and present a screened shortlist within a few business days.
The engagement is contingent — no upfront fee and no exclusivity required. Permanent placements carry a written replacement guarantee covering the initial employment period; if the placed PA leaves inside the guarantee window we re-run the search at no additional fee.
Demand pressure in Georgia is currently very high. Nationally, the BLS projects physician assistant employment to grow roughly 28% between 2023 and 2033 — far above the average for all occupations. Georgia's rapidly growing population, world-class Atlanta healthcare systems, and strong statewide demand for PAs create exceptional career opportunities in one of the South's most dynamic economies.
Physician assistants in Georgia earn an average salary of approximately $118,000 per year, with ranges between $100,000 and $140,000. Metro Atlanta positions typically offer higher compensation, particularly in surgical specialties and hospital-based roles. Savannah, Augusta, and other mid-size cities offer solid salaries with significantly lower cost of living.
To practice in Georgia, PAs must hold NCCPA certification, obtain a license from the Georgia Composite Medical Board, and establish a physician delegation agreement. PAs can prescribe medications including Schedule II-V controlled substances within the scope of their delegation agreement. License renewal requires completion of continuing medical education.
Atlanta is home to several of the Southeast's premier health systems, including Emory Healthcare (affiliated with Emory University School of Medicine), Piedmont Healthcare, Wellstar Health System, and Grady Memorial Hospital — one of the nation's busiest trauma centers. These systems collectively employ hundreds of PAs across virtually every specialty, making Atlanta one of the strongest PA job markets in the South.
Yes, significant PA opportunities exist throughout Georgia. Augusta is home to Augusta University Health and the Medical College of Georgia, providing strong academic medicine opportunities. Savannah has Candler Hospital and St. Joseph's/Candler Health System. Rural Georgia faces significant provider shortages and actively recruits PAs, often with loan repayment incentives for medically underserved areas.
Reach Blake Moser at Advanced Practice Recruiters: 469-457-4570 or blake@advancedpracticerecruiters.com. Most inquiries get a same-business-day reply.
Related: PA recruiting (national) · 2026 PA Salary Guide · PA supervision by state · NP recruiters in Georgia