Physician Assistants practice medicine under the direction of physicians and surgeons. Physician Assistants are trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive healthcare services, as assigned by a physician. They take medical histories, examine and treat patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and x rays, and make diagnoses, and also treat minor injuries by suturing, splinting, and casting. They can also prescribe certain medications, by states consent.
In some establishments, physician assistants are responsible for management duties, such as ordering medical supplies or equipment and supervising medical technicians and assistants. However, in rural or inner-city clinics, physician assistants may be the main care providers because a physician is present only 1 or 2 days a week. Physician Assistants may also make house calls or go to hospitals or nursing care facilities to check on patients, and they report back to the physicians afterwards (“Physician Assistant”, BLS).
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, University of South Alabama, and the University of New Mexico all have physician assistant programs. As of 2000, there were one hundred and twenty five programs. Average class size in a physician assistant program is about thirty one, and in order to be considered a student must have good grades, consistent B’s in the least. Working or volunteering in the medical field will increase chances of acceptance into a program (“Physician Assistant” Ludwig).
Physician assistant educational programs usually take at least two years to complete for a full time student, with most programs being at schools of allied health, academic health centers, medical schools, or a four year college. Few programs are at community colleges, military, or at hospitals. Many accredited physician assistant programs have clinical teaching affiliations with medical schools. Most applicants to a physician assistant program already have a college degree and some health-related work experience, but admission requirements vary from program to program.
Many physician assistants have prior experience as registered nurses, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics. Education for a physician assistant includes laboratory and classroom instruction in biochemistry, biology, microbiology, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, psychology, statistics, pathology, human anatomy, physiology, clinical pharmacology, clinical medicine, physical diagnosis, and medical ethics (BLS; Ludwig).
Physician assistants must have two or more years of college and usually a bachelor’s degree; two or more years with an accredited physician assistant program with a certificate, associate’s or bachelor’s degree; certification or licensure; and certification from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. Physician assistant programs may also include supervised clinical training in family medicine, internal medicine, surgery, prenatal care and gynecology, geriatrics, emergency medicine, and pediatrics.
Sometimes, aspiring physician assistants serve under a physician who is looking to hire a physician assistant and the rotation may lead to employment in that area (“Physician Assistant”, BLS). Physician assistants can specialize in internal medicine, rural primary care, emergency medicine, surgery, pediatrics, neonatology, occupational medicine, in internal medicine, rural primary care, emergency medicine, surgery, pediatrics, neonatology, occupational medicine, urology, critical care, psychiatry, and dermatology (“What are some career options for a Physician Assistant?
”, Degree Directory). All jurisdictions require physician assistants to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) and it is only open to graduates of accredited physician assistant programs. Upon successfully completing the examination, a physician assistant may then use the title “Physician Assistant-Certified. ” To keep their certification, every two years a physician assistant must complete one hundred hours of continuing medical education.
Also every six years, a physician assistant must pass a recertification examination or complete an alternative program combining learning experiences and a take-home examination. Physician assistants held about seventy five thousand jobs in 2008. The American Academy of Physician Assistants states that fifteen percent of actively practicing physician assistants worked concurrently in 2008. The physician assistant career has been rated as one of the fastest growing and most desirable careers for the future by U. S. News and World Report (“Physician Assistant”, Ludwig).
More than fifty three percent of physician assistants worked physician offices, twenty four percent worked in general medical and surgical hospitals, public or private. The remaining twenty three percent worked in outpatient care centers, including health maintenance organizations; the Federal government; and public or private colleges, universities, and professional schools. Very few physician assistants are self employed. Physician assistant employment opportunities are good to excellent (“What are some career options for a Physician Assistant?”, Degree Directory).
Physician assistant employment is expected to grow thirty nine percent from 2008 to 2018, faster than the average for most occupations. Physician assistants should find a growing number of jobs in hospitals, academic medical centers, public clinics, and prisons. Physicians and institutions are expected to employ more physician assistants to provide primary care and to assist with medical and surgical procedures because physician assistants are cost-effective and productive members of the health care team.
Physician assistants can relieve physicians of routine duties, and healthcare providers will use more physician assistants as States continue to expand the physician assistants scope of practice, allowing them to perform more procedures. Rural and inner-city clinics will have the best opportunities as well as states that allow physician assistants a wider scope of practice (BLS). In May 2008, the median annual wage of physician assistants was $81, 230. The middle fifty percent earned between $68,210 and $97,070.
The lowest ten percent earned less than $51,360, with the highest ten percent earning more than $110,240. The American Academy of Physician Assistants’ 2008 Census Report, median income for physician assistants in full time clinical practice was $85,710; median income for first-year graduates was $74,470. Physician assistants income varies by specialty, practice setting, geographical location, and years of experience. Employers often pay for their employees’ professional liability insurance, registration fees with the Drug Enforcement Administration, State licensing fees, and credentialing fees(BLS).
There are many different organizations a physician assistant can become a member of. The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants (AASPA), Physician Assistant AIDS Network (PAAN), and Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) are some of the national organizations I would become a member of along with some state and local organizations in the area I was employed. I chose to pursue a physician assistant career because I feel that I am best suited in this career.
I plan to specialize as a surgical physician assistant or simply work in a rural or inner-city setting. Although the money is considerably less in those areas, I feel that those areas are best suited for me as I am not a city girl, and money isn’t a main concern. Works Cited “Physician Assistants. ” U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. . Simmers, Louise. Diversified Health Occupations. Australia: Thomson/Delmar Learning, 2004. 41-42. Print. State, By, and Of Study. “What Are Some Career Options for a Physician Assistant?
” Premier Online Directory of Degree Programs & Career Planning Articles and Videos from Top Colleges and Universities. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. . “Physician Assistant. ” The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia. com. 18 Oct. 2010 . Ludwig, Dawn B.. ”Physician Assistant. ” Biology. 2002. Encyclpedia. com. 18 Oct. 2010. Robinson, Francesca. “The New Role of Physician Assistant. ” Practice Nurse 38. 9 (2009): 9-10. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. “Health Law. ” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010. 18 Oct. 2010.