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Assistant Medical Officer

Healthcare

Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients. May, in some cases, prescribe medication. Must graduate from an accredited educational program for physician assistants.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Allied HealthNursing

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
  2. 2Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.
  3. 3Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.
  4. 4Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.
  5. 5Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.
  6. 6Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.
  7. 7Instruct and counsel patients about prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance.
  8. 8Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management.
  9. 9Visit and observe patients on hospital rounds or house calls, updating charts, ordering therapy, and reporting back to physician.
  10. 10Provide physicians with assistance during surgery or complicated medical procedures.
  11. 11Supervise and coordinate activities of technicians and technical assistants.
  12. 12Order medical and laboratory supplies and equipment.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • PA
  • AAP
  • PA-C
  • Surgical PA
  • Urgent Care PA
  • Neurosurgery PA
  • Doctor Assistant
  • Family Medicine PA
  • Anesthetic Assistant
  • Physician Assistants

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationMaster's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BiologyDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Sports ScienceDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Medicine and Dentistry100%

    BiologyChemistry

  • Biology96%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • English Language92%

    English

  • Psychology91%
  • Therapy and Counseling90%

    BiologySports Science

  • Customer and Personal Service83%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsOften
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Refer patients to other healthcare providers.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

0%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Dentist

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Physician Assistants

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue