Physician Assistants (PAs) are professionals who practice medicine under the supervision of licensed physicians. They are qualified to provide a broad range of diagnostic, therapeutic, preventative, and health maintenance services including taking patient histories, ordering, administering, and interpreting tests, diagnosing, and treating illness, and assisting in surgery. In some states, PAs are also allowed to write prescriptions. A physician assistant's responsibilities depend on the practice setting, education, experience, and state laws. Employed in ambulatory, emergency and long term settings, PAs provide health care services in family and internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and other areas of specialty care. Those working in surgery provide pre- and post-operative care and may work as first or second assistants during major surgery. PAs work with physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and mental health professionals.
PAs need leadership skills, self-confidence, and emotional stability. As with other medical professionals, they must be willing to continue studying throughout their careers in order to keep up with medical advances.
Employment of PAs is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2008 due to the anticipated expansion of the health care industry and an emphasis on cost containment. Employment opportunities are expected to be good for PAs, especially in settings that have difficulty attracting physicians, such as rural and inner city clinics. Today there are approximately 66,000 PAs practicing in the U.S. with a median annual salary of $47,090.
Education and Training
All states require that new PAs complete an accredited, formal education program. There are currently 116 programs, and 64 award a bachelor's degree or option. The rest offer a certificate, associate's, or master's degree. The typical PA program is 24-27 months in length, and requires entrants to have at least two years of college and some healthcare experience. Some PAs pursue additional education in order to practice in specialty areas such as surgery, neonatology, or emergency medicine. PA postgraduate residency training programs are available.
Recommended Undergraduate Preparation
Application to entry level PA programs is competitive. Admissions committees are highly selective and are looking for successful completion of specific prerequisite courses, strong academic performance, quality letters of recommendation, and paid or volunteer experience in health care. Generally, applications are submitted to schools one year prior to the fall of planned entrance.
Almost any major is appropriate preparation for PA programs, provided that the required courses to be competitive are completed. Students are encouraged to gain volunteer and/or work experience in a health care setting to become more fully acquainted with the field. The average student accepted to PA programs has approximately two years of health care experience. Most programs require applicants to possess a 3.0 cumulative and prerequisite GPA. The average accepted applicant has a GPA of approximately 3.4.
Links for More Information
- Association of Physician Assistant Programs: http://www.apap.org
- National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants: http://www.nccpa.net
- American Academy of Physician Assistants: http://www.aapa.org
Illinois Wesleyan Contact Person
For more information on the field of physician assistants, contact Warren Kistner via e-mail (wkistner@titan.iwu.edu), or by phone at 556-3071.