How To Become A Physician Assistant

Here’s the deal: Not every pre-med student is going to end up becoming a physician. 

And that could be for a multitude of reasons. Maybe you don’t quite have the money to afford an MD degree. Maybe there was a roadblock in your way, and you couldn’t qualify for medical school at the time. Or maybe it’s just pure bad luck. Stuff happens.

But that doesn’t mean your dream to work in medicine has to end right there. Because there is always an option to become a physician assistant.

Now,  being a physician assistant is nothing new. They have existed since the 1960s and have become a pretty important part of the healthcare sector, especially here in the U.S. And a lot of that has to do with a physician shortage in an otherwise highly populated country.

See, a physician assistant has a lot of the same skill set a doctor does but doesn’t require a full medical school graduation. This means that when a doctor isn’t available in a specific area, a physician assistant can easily take the role of a primary care provider.

Physician assistants show that you don’t need to go to medical or nursing school for a career in medicine. But if you’re still confused about the pathway to becoming one and what that might entail, let’s break it down together!

• What is a physician assistant?
• Do you need to go to a special school for it?
• What are my prospects after I become one?

Physician Assistant: A Medical Professional In Their Own Right

So, despite the misconception, a physician assistant isn’t just some guy who runs after a physician like a secretary.

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No, a physician assistant is a licensed healthcare provider that actually offers similar services to an MD, while being overseen by one.

So, you know how we take histories, diagnose patients, and develop treatment plans? Well, a physician assistant can also do that. However, they tend to work more directly with the patients,  usually under the supervision of a presiding physician.

True to their title, they work closely with a doctor to assist in patient care, often taking charge when a physician isn’t readily available. They can even scrub in for surgeries, though obviously as an aide to the actual head surgeon in charge.

But in most other aspects of clinical work? Physician assistants pretty much function independently. 

They often run practices, deal with patients, and provide medical care with full autonomy. A lot of physician assistants have experience in carrying out certain procedures as well, such as suturing, cauterizing, and administering IVs.

And just like an MD physician, a physician assistant can actually go into specializations. So, think of emergency medicine, anesthesia, obstetrics, and even general surgery, those are the fields a physician assistant can move up in.

There is just a lot of variability with becoming a physician assistant, more than there ever was before. Even if certain procedures require that a physician be present to guide you.

What You Need To Become A Physician Assistant

With so many duties allotted to them, you’d think becoming a physician assistant is just as hard as medical school, right? But no.

I mean, it does have its own process but becoming a physician assistant does not take as long as med school and residency would. Nor is it as expensive, thank God.

But how do you get into it? Well, here’s how!

1. Get a Bachelor’s

Finishing your bachelor’s is where your journey starts. Preferably in a science or pre-med related major because you can transfer your credit hours. But really, any bachelor’s from an accredited college works.

2. Get your healthcare experience in

From there, you would start looking into gaining some experience before applying for a Physician Assistant program. This is called working Accruing Healthcare Experience hours, or HCE. If you’re lucky, there are also Patient Care Experience hours, or PCE, which is a more hands-on experience.

Getting at least 1000 hours of either of the two is advised because it would make the transition to becoming a Physician Assistant much easier. The work usually consists of gaining clinical experience through various specialties such as paramedical, medical technology, phlebotomy, etc.

3. Enroll in a PA program

I cannot stress this enough, but when you’re choosing to apply for Physician Assistant programs, please choose one that is actually recognized by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).

It’s a mouthful, but that’s how you know that the education you’ll be getting is relevant and applicable for a license. 

In any case, applying for a Physician Assistant program means you need to weigh all the pros and cons. From flexibility to cost, make sure that the program is the right fit for you.

Some PA programs are pretty lenient with things like online learning, but you’d still have to go in for clinical rotations.

4. Studying and coursework

Now, the actual coursework is pretty much what you’d expect. Because it is adapted from a time that needed accelerated courses for physicians aka the World Wars, most of the material consists of the basic sciences such as anatomy, physiology, histology, etc.

There’s also clinical subjects such as clinical therapeutics. Basically, it’s just a less intensive medical course with a focus on patient care, with a duration of two to three years.

5. Get That License

Congratulations, you’ve finally graduated from PA school! Now what?

Well, this is where the licensing part comes in. If you’ve finished your training with an accredited program (Again, God, I hope you checked that part beforehand.), you are now eligible for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam, or PANCE for short.

The PANCE is a five hour exam that determines whether you get to work as a physician assistant in the U.S., so better study hard! 

But after that? You’re in! You’re officially a licensed physician assistant, and you can now start applying for all the jobs your heart desires.

Good Hours, Good Pay, and None of the Hassle

Speaking of jobs, your prospects as a physician assistant are really good. The thing is, physician assistants work as a replacement for actual physicians when they aren’t available in an area. Which, in this country, is a lot of places.

The physician shortage is running the healthcare industry dry, and the reason why it’s happening is that it’s just not worth it to go into debt to become a doctor. So, becoming physician assistants has become the safer bet, so to speak.

I mean, for one thing, the job market is great. The licensing is really the only hurdle to clear but after that? There are plenty of jobs available in various different sectors, meaning you can opt for a bunch of specialties.

And you could choose hours that actually suit you. Since being a physician assistant doesn’t ask you to extend yourself because of a lack of other physician assistants, you get a more flexible working schedule.

For all the work you put in, you also want good pay, right? Well, being a physician assistant pays pretty well. At $160,000+ per year, it’s a lucrative field to get into. And that number is only expected to grow over the next 3 years, so you’re pretty much set for life.

But above all, it’s rewarding. Being a physician isn’t as involved with direct contact, which could be a deal breaker for a lot of people. But being a physician assistant means you’re more hands on deck.

There is a lot more involvement with patients directly, and that fulfillment is worth a lot to people aspiring to help others in their community.

Conclusion

Physician assistants have a lot of potential in medicine, especially in this day and age. Considering they can give the same level of quality care as a physician means that patients won’t need to compromise their health.

And it’s just so much more accessible. You don’t have to spend a decade or more to become a physician assistant, nor do you have to give exorbitant fees. There is less wait time to get established in the field, and you can often run a practice by yourself, with a good pay margin.

Turns out, you don’t need to go down the usual doctor/dentist/nurse road for great job security and growth in medicine. A physician assistant does just fine.

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