Becoming a physician assistant honors your goal to help people and work in the healthcare field. It may seem a daunting prospect at the beginning, but the rewards are many—both in terms of having a multifaceted and fulfilling career as well as your potential for earning. Here’s a guide to the common steps involved in becoming a physician assistant, including education details, requirements, roles and responsibilities involved and the financial potential of the position. Show 6 Common Steps to Become a Physician Assistant (PA)
Should I Become a Physician Assistant?Is becoming a physician assistant the right choice for you? The answer to that lies within. Physician assistants are generally people who love learning, as earning the degree is demanding and the job requires continued education. PAs are typically compassionate people who thrive when helping others, which is important when you are involved in patient care daily. It’s helpful if you are good at working in collaborative settings, as you may be a member of each patient’s medical team. SalaryThe median salary of a physician assistant was $115,390 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Demand for PAs is high: Employment of physician assistants is expected to grow 31% between 2020-2030, a change the BLS categorizes as “much faster than average” when compared with all jobs. Salary tends to vary by location, and the BLS reports that the five top-paying states for physician assistants are: Education RequirementsTo become a physician assistant, you’ll need to have a bachelor’s degree and successfully complete several science prerequisites, a specified number of hours working in direct patient care, a master’s degree from a program accredited by the ARC-PA, a state license and a passing score on the national certifying exam. To learn more about tips for admission to PA programs, the AAPA offers a one-hour application success webinar. Prospective students should research the requirements of their program(s) of interest before applying. Roles and ResponsibilitiesPhysician assistants are found in hospitals, doctors’ offices, outpatient clinics, urgent care clinics, retail clinics inside stores and drugstores and in telehealth settings. Their duties may include:
Getting Licensed as a Physician AssistantThe National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) offers the Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C) credential, awarded after an applicant successfully passes the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination. After becoming NCCPA certified, a PA-C can apply for licensure in the state in which they intend to work as a physician assistant. This may be subject to additional requirements. Prospective students should research the requirements in the state(s) in which they intend to practice. Information on the below PA-C credential was retrieved from PANCE Registration and PANRE Eligibility as of October 2021.
Just as professionals with PA degrees can replace and support the roles of other medical professionals, so can a few other advanced nursing and healthcare degrees. If you’d like to explore other healthcare careers, the following information may help:
FAQsWhat is a physician assistant (PA)? Physician assistants are medical and healthcare professionals who have thousands of hours of medical training. They work alongside (and under the supervision of) physicians and may act as a patient’s primary care provider.
What does a physician assistant do? According to the American Academy of PAs, physician assistants can perform most of the functions of a physician: They examine patients, order tests, diagnose illnesses, create and manage treatment plans and prescribe medicine. They may also work in wellness and drugstore clinics and other places patients visit to consult about regular daily health concerns. However, keep in mind that PAs are not doctors and cannot perform all of the functions of a doctor. How long is PA school? Depending on your situation, a PA program may take about three years and is made up of classroom instruction and many hours of clinical rotations. A physician assistant degree is a master’s-level degree; students must have a bachelor’s degree and have completed prerequisite science courses. PA students may enter programs with health care job experience as sports trainers, medical assistants or paramedics. Is PA school harder than medical school? PA schools and medical schools each require that students have a four-year bachelor degree. PA schools typically take three years after this; medical school, on the other hand, requires four years, plus three to seven years of training as a resident. If you’ve always wanted to be a doctor, medical school is your best choice, since PAs are not doctors. If you primarily want to be in a role where you treat patients under a physician’s supervision, PA school may provide the opportunities you need and not take as long or cost as much. Physician assistant vs. medical doctor: What’s the difference? A physician assistant collaborates with a physician, who consults on cases and signs off on treatment plans. Medical doctors, on the other hand, may choose to have a solo practice. Physician assistants work more on a collaborative basis, as part of a healthcare team, while doctors may be the head of those teams. Both may act as primary care providers. Physician assistant vs. nurse practitioner: What’s the difference? This is a trickier question, as PAs and NPs have many similarities at first glance, and both require master’s-level degrees. The best way to understand the difference is to understand their origins and differences in nursing and medical care models. Physician assistants are often more focused on the medical model and philosophy, which starts with symptoms or disease and focuses on pathology, diagnoses, pharmacology and treatment; nurse practitioners use the nursing model and philosophy and focus more holistically on the entire person as a whole, which includes the patient’s mental, emotional and physical needs. Last updated October 2021. How many years does it take to get a PA?Most physician assistant programs take approximately two years to complete. PCOM offers a 26-month program leading to a Master of Science (MS) in Health Sciences Physician Assistant Studies degree.
How long does it take to become a PA in PA?Once you understand the prerequisites you need to meet to apply to a physician assistant master's degree program, you can factor in the length of PA school. Most physician assistant studies programs last 26.5 months, though some can take up to three years to complete.
How do I get started as a PA?To become a PA, you must graduate from an ARC-PA accredited entry-level PA program. Most entry-level PA programs require applicants to have an undergraduate degree. However, some PA programs offer a pre-professional phase that is open to recent high school graduates and students with some college credit.
What degree is best for a PA?Most aspiring PAs begin by pursuing bachelor's degrees in health care or one of the sciences, though a few universities offer pre-PA programs at the undergraduate level. Other students enroll in physician assistant education programs with bachelor's degrees in non-health-related fields.
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