Become a Physician Assistant

As a physician assistant (PA), you'll practice medicine under the supervision of a licensed physician. Most PAs have at least four years of experience in the health field prior to becoming a PA. Their role is very different than that of a medical assistant, who performs routine clinical and clerical tasks.

Physician Assistant Job Description

As a physician assistant, you'll perform the same functions as a doctor, handling all but the most complex cases. Your typical duties will include the following:

• Taking medical histories
• Examining and treating patients
• Ordering and analyzing lab tests and x-rays
• Prescribing medication
• Treating minor injuries

You may also take on managerial duties, supervising various medical staff and ordering supplies.

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Physician Assistant Work Environment

As a physician assistant, you'll be able to work in any area of medicine. Over 50 percent of all physician assistants work in primary care medicine. Twenty percent work in surgery or other surgical subspecialties. You might work in any of the following settings:

• Private practice offices or clinics (56%)
• Hospitals (32%)
• Public health clinics
• Temporary help agencies
• Schools
• Prisons
• Home health care agencies
• US Department of Veterans Affairs

The American Academy of Physician Assistants provides links to each state's Department of Health licensing information.

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Physician Assistant Degrees

Until recently, PA programs awarded certificates and associate degrees in addition to master's and bachelor's degrees. Now the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) requires that all programs offer graduate level degrees.

Physician Assistant Bachelor's Degree (BA-PA)

This accelerated 4-year program allows you to earn your bachelor's degree in conjunction with your graduate level PA certificate. The first two years usually involve courses in basic sciences, mathematics and liberal arts. The third and fourth years include nine months of clinical course work and 12 months of clinical rotations. Most BA-PA programs admit students into the program on a conditional pre-professional status, until the first two years are complete.

Physician Assistant Master's Degree (MA-PA)

Schools that confer the master's degree require you to have earned a bachelor's prior to entering the program. The first year emphasizes coursework in anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, microbiology, internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, geriatrics, surgery and psychology. The second year emphasizes clinical experience in primary care and medical specialties.

Physician Assistant Courses

Most students complete a 2-year master's PA program. During the first year, you take basic medical science courses such as the following:

• Biochemistry
• Pathology
• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Disease prevention
• Pharmacology

In the second year, you gain clinical experience in primary care medicine, inpatient medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, geriatrics, emergency medicine, psychiatry and pediatrics.

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Physician Assistant Certification

To become a certified physician assistant and be eligible for the acronym PA-C, you must graduate from a program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), and you must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE).

To maintain active certification status, PAs must complete 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years. Additionally, a recertification exam is required every six years. Recertification can be attained alternatively by combining learning experience with a take-home exam.

Physician vs. Physician Assistant

Physician assistant responsibilities vary depending on training and experience. Generally, PAs handle all but the most complicated medical cases. Unusual or hard-to-manage cases may require a referral to the physician or a consultation between the patient, the PA and physician. All 50 states, DC, Guam and the US Virgin Islands allow physician assistants to prescribe medication.

Nurse Practitioner vs. Physician Assistants

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants have similar job descriptions. The difference is in their training. Nurse practitioners must complete a 2-year RN program and practice for at least a year before they can enter a 2- to 3-year NP program, which will confer a master's degree in a primary care or specialty area, such as pediatrics, geriatrics, emergency medicine, psychiatry, surgery, anesthesia, family health or women's health.

Physician Assistants must have some experience in the allied health field prior to entering the 2-year program and can earn a BA-PA or MA-PA. PAs follow a conventional medical doctor curriculum, while nurse practitioners follow a nursing curriculum. Physician assistants are also educated in the broad spectrum of medical and surgical care, allowing them to practice in the variety of specialties rather than one specific area of study.

Physician assistants and nurse practitioners both perform these activities:

• Order and interpret diagnostic and lab tests
• Prescribe medication (except for Indiana, Louisiana and Ohio)
• Function as primary health care providers who work with physicians on a referral or consultation basis

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