Physician Assistant Schools
Enrolling in one of the many Physician Assistant Schools available may be right for you if you want to become more involved in patient care than a nurse but don’t want the years of medical school and beyond.
Do not confuse a Physician Assistant with a medical assistant or a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA). A medical assistant performs clerical and routine clinical tasks, and a Nurse Aide cares for patients, administer medication and can assist with physical therapy. They can also perform diagnostic testing but cannot order the testing done.
A PA is also not a Nurse Practitioner (NP) who can perform these same task in patient care, but the NP is supervised by a physician. The NP can treat a patient, then the physician reviews the chart and enters the physician’s approval signature.
A Physician Assistant (PA) can take medical histories, triage, order tests, diagnose and treat patients, as delegated by a physician. A PA can work independently from a physician but must be supervised by a physician.
Specific duties of a Physician Assistant is determined by both the physician and by state law. Ensure you familiarize yourself with legal limitations for the area in which you receive your license. Laws differ from state to state.
Offline or Online Education Required
For heightened chances of acceptance into physician assistant schools, the prospective PA should already possess at least a Bachelor’s degree; additional related experience is very helpful as well. Some schools allow enrollment without the four-year degree, but many will not waive that requirement for admission.
Fortunately, a prospective student need not attend classes on campus. He can continue working and enroll in any of the accredited physician assistant schools across the country to obtain quality career training that rivals any in-class education.
Once accepted into physician assistant schools,most offline or online courses take two years to complete if attending full-time. When the training is completed, you will have probably earned an online Master’s degree and need only to pass the national testing for licensing if the testing was not included in the online degree program.
After Licensing
Physician Assistants can work in virtually any medical-related environment: They can work in hospitals, clinics, physician practices and nursing homes, to name a few. So long as a physician is available as needed and supervises patient care, a Physician Assistant can work in almost any medical setting desired. Physician Assistants can even find employment at universities and colleges.
Job prospects are excellent for this specialty with an expected expansion in demand of approximately 34 percent during the next seven years.
Salaries are quite respectable as well. The lower-paying positions seem to average almost $74,000 annually with a median salary of $84,000 for the experienced Physician Assistant.
Start yourself on a new career path today. Enroll in a health-related degree program through an accredited online university then look forward to your application and acceptance into one of the physician assistant schools available online to launch your rewarding career.
