Anyone interested in a career in medicine should consider becoming a physician assistant (PA). Physician assistants are among the medical professionals who deliver high-quality patient care while working under a doctor’s supervision. Are you considering a career change in this fascinating field? A detailed guide to becoming a physician assistant can be found here.
What Does a Physician Assistant Do?
PAs work closely with patients to review medical histories, order diagnostic tests, and make diagnoses and medication schedules. They also remain current on the latest research to ensure excellent patient care. PAs do many of the same things doctors do, although they don’t need quite so many years of training. You can work as a PA in family medicine or as a PA in primary care medicine. You can also work as a physician assistant and see patients in areas such as pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, or emergency medicine.
Physician Assistant Salary and Job Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that as of 2023, the median yearly salary for physician assistants was $130,020. The industry, degree of experience, and region all affect an individual’s pay. For instance, PAs in Arkansas make an average of $88,720 annually, while those in Nevada make an average of $154,800.
In some regions of the United States, such as New York, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas, where PA employment is most concentrated, there is a particularly high demand for PAs. According to the BLS, employment for these professionals is expected to grow by 27% between 2022 and 2032, which is three times the job growth rate for other health practitioners in the country and nine times the growth rate for all jobs in the United States.
How Long Does it Take To Become a Physician Assistant?
It usually takes at least seven years to finish all of the aforementioned steps. You should anticipate completing your undergraduate studies in four years, followed by two years of physician assistant schooling and one year of gaining experience in healthcare. If you need more time to study for and pass PANCE, or if you spend more time gaining experience between undergraduate and graduate school, the path to becoming a PA may take longer.
Physician Assistant Specializations
- Surgery: PA students who specialize in surgery are prepared to assess and care for surgical patients. They gain knowledge about how to care for surgical patients both before and after surgery.
- Pediatrics: Pediatric PAs provide ambulatory care for infants and children to assist pediatricians. This concentration teaches students how to assess common pediatric issues, provide preventative care, and explain treatment plans to the parents of their patients.
- Behavioral health: This specialty’s primary focus is on providing care and support to patients with mental health concerns. Students in this specialty learn how to conduct psychiatric evaluations, track patient progress, and refer patients to behavioral health specialists.
- Emergency Medicine: Prospective PAs learn how to triage, stabilize, and manage patients with urgent medical issues in this specialty. Students in the emergency medicine specialty also gain experience working with urgent care teams and learn how to present cases to physicians.
- Obstetrics and Gynecology: Students pursuing this concentration gain a thorough understanding of childbirth and reproductive healthcare for patients with female bodies. Graduates of PA programs specializing in this area offer family planning and sexual health counseling in addition to prenatal and postpartum care.
How to Become a Physician Assistant?
- Earn a Bachelor’s Degree: Obtaining a bachelor’s degree is the first step, preferably in a medical or scientific discipline. Students with unrelated undergraduate majors may be admitted to certain PA programs. In any case, to be eligible for the majority of PA programs, you will still need to have completed prerequisite courses. The American Academy of PAs (AAPA) states that to be eligible for a PA program, you must have taken courses in human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, microbiology, and biology. You will expand on this knowledge with more sophisticated scientific training in a physician assistant program.
- Gain Healthcare Work Experience: Students frequently gain healthcare work experience as nurses, emergency medical technicians, or surgical technologists before beginning PA training. Many PA programs seek candidates with at least three years of practical patient care experience. However, some schools require only 100 hours. To ensure that you understand the job, some programs require you to shadow a PA or complete an equivalent experience. You can use this experience to decide whether becoming a physician assistant is the right career path for you.
- Earn a Physician Assistant Master’s Degree: As of 2023, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) estimates that 83% of PAs in the United States hold a master’s degree. A PA master’s degree is essential for employment, as only roughly 13% of people have a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree. A master’s degree in physician assistant can be obtained in two to three years. Clinical laboratory science, pharmacology, and pathophysiology are among the subjects you will study. Additionally, you will gain practical experience by completing roughly 2,000 clinical hours.
You become acquainted with primary care and specialty fields such as emergency medicine, surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology through clinical rotations. To help you explore your interests, schools may offer elective rotations.
- Pass the PANCE and Get State Licensure: To practice in the United States, PAs need to obtain a license. According to the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), states also mandate that applicants complete a PA program. To obtain your license, you must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE), which is a multiple-choice test administered by the NCCPA. Passing the PANCE will earn you your physician assistant certification (PA-C). Your PA-C designation demonstrates that you have advanced clinical and professional knowledge, as well as medical skills.
- Get a Job as a Physician Assistant: As a PA, you can begin practising immediately after receiving your license. From 2022 to 2032, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates 43,700 new PA jobs. Joining a professional organization, such as AAPA, can provide professional support and help you with your job search. The American Psychological Association job board has hundreds of job listings across the United States. According to the BLS, approximately 25% of PAs work in hospitals and 54% in doctor’s offices. Job opportunities will vary depending on your geographic location and other activities.
- Maintain Licensure: The NCCPA certification is valid for ten years. Every two years, PAs must earn 100 hours of continuing medical education credits to keep their certification. Although you have the option to take the test a year earlier, PAs are required to take the PANCE by the end of their tenth year. Make sure to check with your state licensing board as some states may have additional requirements for PA licensure and recertification.
Conclusion
Physician Assistant: A Guide on How to Become One, So if you prefer the other motivation by way of patient care and awareness, now might be the optimum time to become a physician assistant. The PA profession is a rapidly growing field that is expected to have a strong job outlook in the coming years, as well as specialization opportunities, but aspiring PAs must also meet educational requirements and gain experience to be able to obtain licensure.