Becoming a Physician Assistant

When you go to the doctor's office, you might often see a physician assistant. The physician assistant can handle many medical issues you might have, from basic primary care to more specialized, urgent care, all under the supervision and guidance of a fully-licensed physician.

What Does a Physician Assistant Do?

A physician assistant is trained to handle a wide variety of medical issues and conditions. They serve in every medical specialty, and sometimes serve as the primary care provider in rural areas, consulting with licensed physicians as the law requires. Physician assistants often assist during major surgery and can be responsible for both pre-operative and post-operative care.

In addition to basic primary treatment, physician assistants can offer other care to patients, including taking a medical history workup, ordering laboratory tests, performing physical exams, and counseling patients. Physician assistants are also authorized to write prescriptions.

Formal Training Required to Become a Physician Assistant

A physician assistant program allows you to obtain a certificate, associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree. Though every program has different entry-level requirements, most who enter the physician assistant program already have a college degree, experience in the health care field, or a combination of both.

The average physician assistant program takes approximately two years of study to complete. The first year of physician assistant training usually consists of classroom time, where you can obtain the knowledge that prepares you to treat patients. This includes courses in anatomy, pharmacology, biochemistry, pathology, microbiology, clinical medicine, medical ethics, and more.

The second year begins more hands-on physician assistant training, including work in internal medicine, emergency medicine, family medicine, geriatric medicine, and pediatrics. Physician assistant training also delves into radiology, orthopedics, psychiatry, surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology.

In order for a graduate to be eligible to take the physician assistant exam, their program must be accredited. According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, there are currently over 140 accredited programs throughout the United States.

Upon completion of the physician assistant degree, a passing score on the national certifying exam is required. In order to keep certification up-to-date, a physician assistant must take 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years, with a re-certification exam every six years. A state license is required for all physician assistants who intend to practice medicine.

The Typical Career Path of a Physician Assistant

Physician assistants have a vast knowledge of their area of expertise, and some of them choose to go into medical school in order to further that knowledge. With such a strong base of classwork and experience behind them, a physician assistant could choose to move further into the medical field or could pursue a degree in a related discipline, such as physical therapy or pharmacology.

Physician assistants often find work in rural areas, where residents might have little or no access to regular health care. They can also work in large medical offices, hospitals, clinics, government agencies, and the armed forces. Some find work in public clinics, schools, prisons, and academic medical centers.

Job Outlook and Salary Information for Physician Assistants

If you're considering becoming a physician assistant, now is the perfect time. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, physician assistant jobs should see impressive growth of 39 percent through 2018, which is much faster than that of all other occupations. Job opportunities should be especially good in rural areas and inner-city medical clinics, where good medical care is in high demand.

Physician assistants often enjoy impressive salaries. The median physician assistant salary in 2008 was $84,420, according to the BLS. During that same year, $55,880 was on the low end of physician assistant salaries, while $115,080 was representative of the highest ten percent.

Salaries could be even higher, depending upon the hours worked. According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, about 15 percent of physician assistants held concurrent positions in more than one health care clinic or setting in 2008.

As states give physician assistants the opportunity to take on more responsibility, the job opportunities in those states should increase, thus leading to pockets of even higher job growth. With physician assistants already in high demand all over the United States, there has never been a better time to enter the physician assistant program.