Onboarding plan
Physician Assistant Onboarding Plan (30-60-90 Days)
A practical, printable plan to take a new physician assistant from first day to full productivity.
Physician Assistant onboarding at a glance
Week one covers orientation, safety and shadowing. Days 1–30 build vocabulary and supervised practice on core procedures; days 31–60 move to independent work with competency sign-offs; days 61–90 focus on full productivity, cross-training and a credential plan.
Before day one
- Confirm start date, schedule, pay and supervisor in writing
- Verify required credentials: PA-C (NCCPA certification), State PA license (as applicable)
- Prepare equipment and access: electronic health records; stethoscope and exam tools; diagnostic imaging and lab systems; suture and procedure kits
- Assign a buddy or preceptor
- Enroll the new hire in Physician Assistant training so foundations are covered before or during week one
Week one: orient and protect
- Workplace tour, emergency procedures and incident reporting
- Follow infection control and sharps safety
- Verify patient identity and allergies
- Use safe prescribing practices
- Escalate concerns to the collaborating physician
- Shadow an experienced physician assistant through a full shift
- Training modules 1–3: role foundations, a day on the job and essential vocabulary (15 terms)
Days 1–30: learn
Goal: perform core tasks safely under supervision.
- Supervised practice: perform a focused patient assessment
- Supervised practice: write a clear SOAP note
- Supervised practice: close a laceration with sutures
- Training modules 4–7: duties, step-by-step tasks, tools and safety
- 30-day check-in: confidence, questions and early wins
Days 31–60: contribute
Goal: handle a regular workload independently.
- Take medical histories and examine patients: independently
- Order and interpret tests: independently
- Diagnose illnesses and injuries: independently
- Prescribe medications: independently
- Competency sign-offs completed (see checklist below)
- Training final knowledge check and certificate of completion
- 60-day check-in
Days 61–90: own
Goal: full productivity and a growth plan.
- Meet productivity and quality targets for the role
- Begin cross-training on a secondary task
- Agree on a credential goal (for example, PA-C (NCCPA certification))
- Discuss the career path: Patient-Care Role → Physician Assistant → Senior or Lead PA
- 90-day review
Competency checklist
| Skill or task | Trained | Observed | Signed off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perform a Focused Patient Assessment | |||
| Write a Clear SOAP Note | |||
| Close a Laceration with Sutures | |||
| Patient assessment | |||
| Diagnosis | |||
| Pharmacology | |||
| Procedures |
How to measure onboarding success
- Days until the new hire works without a preceptor
- Competency sign-offs completed on time
- Documentation or charting error rate
- 90-day retention
How Physician Assistant training maps to this plan
- Introduction to the Physician Assistant Role
- A Day on the Job
- Essential Physician Assistant Vocabulary
- Core Duties and Responsibilities
- Common Tasks, Step by Step
- Tools, Equipment and Technology
- Safety, Compliance and Professional Standards
- Skills Employers Look For
- Launching Your Physician Assistant Career
- Final Knowledge Check