If you have ever thought about making a transition over to the clinical side of healthcare to capitalize on your relationships and healthcare experience, then maybe becoming a Physician Assistant is an option for you. Due to the current shortage of healthcare providers in Family Practice, Physician Assistants are in more demand then ever. The good news is if you have a bachelors degree in a science related discipline you may not have to take many, if any, prerequisites. The training to become a Physician Assistant is approximately 2 years and the average salary, according to Payscale.com, can range from $69,890 to $87, 926. Of course, you can make more or less depending on experience and specialty.
According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants (www.aapa.org):
Physician assistants (PAs) are health professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. PAs perform a comprehensive range of medical duties, from basic primary care to high-technology specialty procedures. PAs often act as first or second assistants in major surgery and provide pre- and postoperative care.
In some rural areas where physicians are in short supply, PAs serve as the primary providers of health care, conferring with their supervising physicians and other medical professionals as needed and as required by law. PAs can be found in virtually every medical and surgical specialty.
The PA’s responsibilities depend on the type of practice, his or her experience, the working relationship with physicians and other health care providers, and state laws.
There are approximately 68,100 practicing PAs in the United States as of January 2009.
The average PA program takes 26.5 months to complete. The first year generally is composed of classroom studies — the essential medical sciences such as microbiology, anatomy, and physiology — followed by a year of clinical rotations in private practice and institutional settings.
| 1st Year of Study Classroom Studies Anatomy Physiology Pharmacology Microbiology Biochemistry Pathology Clinical Lab Health Promotion Clinical Medicine Medical Ethics | 2nd Year of Study Clinical Rotations Family Medicine Internal Medicine Emergency Medicine Pediatrics Geriatric Medicine Obstetrics/gynecology Surgery Orthopedics Psychiatry Radiology |
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