Physician Assistant Prerequisites
Today the physician assistant prerequisites have been slightly altered. Rather than seek out students with completed degrees within the sciences, the admission committees are seeking individuals possessing broader educational backgrounds. They still should possess and demonstrate a propensity and aptitude for handling scientific concepts which is shown through their completion of all the physician assistant prerequisites.
They must have earned their bachelor’s degree from one of the accredited colleges or universities available today. They need to carry a grade point average of at least 3.0 on average for most schools to admit them.
Aside from these general physician assistant prerequisites they will also have to complete both natural science courses and non-science courses here:
- Natural Science Courses – Human Physiology (4 credits), Human Anatomy and Lab (4 credits), Microbiology and Lab (4 credits), General Chemistry and Lab (8 credits), Organic Chemistry and Lab (4 credits).
- Non-Science Courses – General Psychology (3 credits), English Expository Writing (3 credits), Statistics (3 credits), Psychology Elective (3 credits).
The best kind of medical experience is in direct patient care. This type of experience means gaining hands-on patient care experience in positions like the following:
- EMT/Paramedic
- Nurses Aid
- Nurse
- PTA
- PT
- OTA
- OT
- CNA
- Medical Assistant
Schools want you to have experience in direct patient contact. Some of the positions that are not considered to be caring directly for a patient are medical technologist, phlebotomist, radiology technician, dietary aide, transportation aide, and fields like these.
For anyone whose situation makes employment in one of these above-mentioned fields impractical then you can volunteer at a rehabilitation center, a hospital, a nursing home, or a doctor’s office.
Job Description & Requirements
The prerequisites for physician assistant training have to be met first. And a physician assistant is not to be confused with a medical assistant, who does routine clerical and clinical tasks. The physician assistant prerequisites must be fulfilled and successfully completed and only then can they start career training for providing therapeutic, preventative, and diagnostic healthcare services.
Most physician assistant programs carry an additional two years past the fulfillment of your physician assistant prerequisites. The bulk of these programs are found in four-year colleges, schools of allied health, medical schools, academic health centers, the military, hospitals, or community colleges.
Employment, Salary, And Outlook After Completion Of Prerequisites For Physician Assistant
The employment opportunities for physician assistants is expected to be good, and especially so in areas that have struggled to attract physicians like some rural as well as inner city clinics. The employment has been projected to grow faster than average because of the rapid expansion of health services and the emphasis placed on cost containment.
Once a student completes the prerequisites for physician assistant training and earns their degrees and is admitted to school they can expect to earn an average salary of around $60,000 a year. This will depend on the school, area of focus, and location of your job.
Many people complete their physician assistant prerequisites online. Today online distance education is the new wave for obtaining career training. Many accredited online universities have enrollment numbers that are skyrocketing. Start your enrollment today and complete your prerequisites for physician assistant.
