How to Become a Physician Assistant (PA)

Do you intend to practice medicine under the close supervision of a licensed physician? If yes, becoming a physician assistant can prove to be just the perfect healthcare career option for you. Considering the strong employment outlook for this career, you will be able to avail of excellent job opportunities. If you aspire to become a physician assistant (PA), you need to gather all the essential career and job information about this healthcare occupation.

Given below are some of the most useful tips that you can follow to become a physician assistant and obtain professional success.

Know the Job Description
Usually, the job duties of a PA are quite close to that of a physician. You’ll be dealing with patient history. You will be responsible for ordering a wide range of diagnostic tests for patients. While working as a physician assistant, you will also be responsible for treating minor injuries in patients. Apart from clinical tasks, you may also need to handle some basic administrative responsibilities where you work. You can choose to work at physician’s offices, public health clinics, home healthcare agencies etc.

Fulfill Minimum Educational Requirements
In order to work as a PA, you will be required to complete at least a bachelor’s degree. Completing a bachelor’s degree can easily help you beat out most of the competition.

Complete a Physician Assistant Degree
Since you are going to work closely with a licensed physician, you need to obtain a degree in physician assistance. Most of the candidates in this field choose to obtain a master’s degree. However, you can also get started with a bachelor’s degree in this field.

Completing a physician assistant master’s degree will keep you ahead of the competition. A master’s degree trains you in areas like anatomy, microbiology, internal medicine, pediatrics, physiology, pharmacology etc.

Get Certified
In addition to completing a bachelor or a master degree, you also need to get certified. To obtain the certificate, you should clear the Physician Assistant National Certifying Program (PANCE). To be able to appear for this certification exam, you need to fulfill some eligibility criteria. Also don’t forget to gather essential details recertification or certificate renewal.

Choose a Specialization
If you want to increase your earning potential, it’s always advisable to choose a specialization. Depending on your specific interests, you can choose to become a pediatric physician assistant, a family medicine physician assistant, an internal medicine physician assistant, a surgical physician assistant etc.