Physician assistants (PA) practice medicine and work in physician offices, hospitals, or urgent care centers; in many cases they work under the supervision of physicians or surgeons. In some states, PAs can work independently as well.
Education and Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in science or healthcare-oriented field (4 years)
- Master’s degree in physician assistant education (2 years) program accredited by Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. Some programs expect prior experience in patient care which might include being nursing assistant, EMT, registered nurse, etc. The master’s degree includes classroom and laboratory experience in many areas including pathology, anatomy, physiology, diagnosis, pharmacology, medical ethics, etc. It also includes clinical training in areas such as family medicine, pediatrics, etc.).
- All states require PAs to be licensed; this can be done by passing the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).
- To retain the PA-certification, 100 hours of continuing education are required every 2 years and recertification is required every 10 years.
Responsibilities and a Day in the Life
Most PAs work full time and 40 hours a week but based on the type of organization (physician office vs hospitals), they may work night shifts, weekends and even holidays. Some PAs are expected to be on-call as well.
Their daily routines could be as follows:
- Reviewing medical histories of the patients
- Making rounds in hospital settings and examining patients
- Ordering diagnostic tests such as x rays or blood tests
- Interpreting test results
- Diagnosing patient’s illness based on the test results or injuries
- Based on the diagnosis, developing and managing treatment plans
- Assisting in surgeries
- Counseling patients and their families based on the illness
- Prescribing medicine
- Recording all the details in the patient’s chart, mostly on computer systems
- Assessing patient’s progress during the follow-up visits
- Advising patients about preventive care
- Some of the duties may vary based on the type of clinic/hospital department. For example, a PA working in a pediatric physician office may administer vaccinations.
Other Necessary Skills
- Compassion and understanding to deal with patients and their families who are suffering due to illness or injuries.
- Communication skills
- Emotional stability
- Detail-oriented mindset
- Interpersonal skills including good bedside manner while working with sick patients
- Ability to use advanced electronic medical equipment and computer systems
Career Progression
- Certified PAs can step into supervisory roles to manage other staffs and PA students.
- Some choose to specialize in areas like emergency medicine, psychiatry, etc.
- Few choose to move into management roles as well.
Salary
- Varies from $75K to $160K
- Median salary is $121KÂ
Job Growth
In 2020 about 129K PAs were employed in the US. This is expected to grow by another 40K by 2030; about 31% growth. This growth rate is much faster than other professions.
Summary
If you have a passion towards the health care industry especially in supporting suffering patients, but do not want to invest 11+ years to become a doctor, becoming a physician assistant could be a good fit for you. PAs perform similar duties and help patients heal from injuries or illness. The job does come with some stress and PAs are required to work long hours on their feet and sometimes are expected to work night shifts, weekends/holidays.
