If you’re a young, ambitious person, and you dream of becoming a physical assistant (PA), your dreams can still be achieved. You have an opportunity to join the best universities and gain a chance to become a professional physical assistant. There is always a shortage of personnel in the ever demanding medical field.
If you’re willing to chase your dream of becoming a Physical Assistant, then you’re guaranteed a chance or an opportunity to serve the community.
Due to the rigor of the PA curriculum, the PA schools look for candidates who meet the following requirements
- Undergraduate coursework (common pre-med sciences like biology, chemistry, anatomy, microbiology and lab courses are a plus.)
- An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and above
- GRE scores in the top 50th percentile and above
Many schools that require healthcare experience look for a minimum of 500 hours’ and will accept work from a variety of occupations. They include lab technicians, EMTs, ER technicians, medical assistants, RNs, and the Peace Corps.
Before you apply, you’re advised to check the suggested experience guidelines and requirements.
You can find the school of your dreams through the internet, courtesy of amazing sites such as My PA Path which is an excellent PA school finder. The site is a rich directory of PA schools and the entire program directory. In case you have a problem creating a financial plan, you can consult a PA school finder for further assistance. A PA school finder is quite useful in terms of advice and actualizing your dreams.
Working as a PA comes with a lot of responsibilities, which are:
- To examine and interview patients, and determine a diagnosis
- To order necessary tests to be taken to ascertain the extent and nature of illnesses.
- To provide medicine prescriptions
- To administer immunizations
- Set bones and stitch wounds.
- To maintain the patients’ medical record
It’s good to know that a Physician Assistant can specialize in areas like pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, or dermatology. Physical Assistants work for hospitals, government agencies, colleges, and group medical practices.
In general, a PA works under the supervision of surgeons or physicians, but at times, they can work more independently, only consulting the physician when necessary.
The salary of a PA ranges differently. The bottom 10% annual salary is less than $69,120, the top 10% annual salary is more than $152,000, and the median annual salary is $108,700.
For you to graduate with a Master’s degree, you need to have spent two years of full-time postgraduate study at an accredited education program.
The program includes laboratory and classroom instruction in subjects such as clinical medicine, pharmacology, human anatomy, pathology, physiology, medical ethics, and physical diagnosis.
During training, hundreds of hours are spent in supervising the clinical practice in a different area, including emergency medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, and internal medicine. To be licensed, you need to pass the Physical Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). To maintain certification, you need to continue with education.
It’s a must for a physician assistant to complete 100 hours of continuing education every two years.