A Physician Assistant (PA)’s job includes working with doctors, nurses, and other members of the health care team to diagnose and treat patients, prescribe medications, and educate patients about preventive care.
Therefore, the list of educational requirements for physician assistants (also known as “physician companions”) reflects the need for preparation to meet the demands of their profession.
In this blog, we clarify exactly what these PA requirements are and how you can start working to meet them.
Is there a standard educational path for PA?
Becoming a physician’s assistant requires a well-thought-out educational and professional pathway. From completing a bachelor’s degree (usually his one in science) to taking a “gap” year to gain hands-on clinical experience in healthcare, many aspiring PAs achieve their goals follows a well-defined path for
To meet the requirements of Physician Assistant School and eventually work as a licensed PA, your track will be:1
- Earn a Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited university in a relevant field of study (such as Health Sciences or Nursing) and complete prerequisite courses (more on this later).
- Earn the Health Care Experience (HCE) and Patient Care Experience (PCE) hours required by specific PA programs (many programs require at least 1,000 HCE or PCE hours).2 However, some PA programs do not require HCE/PCE.
- Enroll in the Converged Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA), which allows you to apply for multiple PA programs at once. Begin the process of collecting transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a list of HCE and PCE hours to apply to your chosen Physician Assistant program.
- Earn a Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) and complete a minimum of 2,000 supervised clinical hours while studying for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE).
- Pass PANCE and earn a Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C) credential offered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.
- Get a license in the state where you want to practice.
- To maintain your license, complete 100 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) every two years.
- Pass a recertification every 7-10 years (depending on the recertification path you choose).3
Are the PA requirements extensive? Absolutely. Still, given that PAs are directly responsible for the health and lives of others, this is also appropriate.
Prerequisites: What courses must a PA take?
Before applying to a Master’s degree program in Physician Assistant Studies, prospective PA students are typically required to complete the following prerequisite courses as an undergraduate:Four
- biology
- human anatomy
- genetics
- statistics
- Psychology (general)
- chemistry
- organic chemistry
- English syntax
- medical term
- biochemistry
- microbiology
- human physiology
What classes do PA candidates take in the Physician Assistant Master’s Program?
The MS in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) curriculum covers the above study areas but at the postgraduate level. It also includes classroom instruction in several additional areas such as medical decision-making, medical ethics, laboratory science, behavioral science, pathophysiology, and microbiology.
Clinical rotations are conducted under the supervision of a clinical preceptor across a variety of medical/surgical settings, including:
- Acute medical facility
- emergency room
- nursing home
- outpatient clinic
- medical practice
Because Physician Assistants are medically trained as generalists, they gain clinical rotation hours in several areas of medicine, including:Five
- Gynecology/Obstetrics
- household medicine
- internal medicine
- psychiatry
- emergency medicine
- general surgery
- Pediatrics
How long does it take to become a PA?
So how long is a PA school? Including clinical rotation time, it usually takes just over two years to complete MS in Physician Assistant Studies.
Overall, this means an average time of 7-8 years for a Bachelor’s degree, optional HCE/PCE hours, a Master’s degree, and PANCE.
However, please note that the timing may vary due to living circumstances and other obligations.
Who Becomes a Physician’s Assistant?
Those interested in hands-on clinical experience working directly with patients in a wide range of healthcare settings are often drawn to the Physician Assistant profession.
As mentioned earlier, many students who enter the Physician Assistant graduate program have some degree of HCE and PCE. They may have experience with:6
- emergency medical technician
- lab assistant
- Certified Nursing Assistant
- nurse
- medical assistant
- emergency room technician
- surgical technician
- Paramedics
Most PA schools require a minimum of 1,000 hours of medical or direct patient care experience. Gain real-world, hands-on experience in the medical field so you can be confident that you are making the right decisions before you meet PA school requirements and apply for admission.
However, it is important to note that Physician Assistant School requirements vary by program. Some PA schools do not require HCEs or PCEs as they allow students to acquire all the experience and skills required in the program. Also, the applicant’s HCE/PCE hours are self-reported on her CASPA and are not verified by the school. Make sure you do enough research on the programs you’re interested in so you can guarantee they meet (or exceed) the requirements.
Is becoming a PA part of the path of an aspiring physician?
In rare cases, few choose to transition from a role as a physician’s assistant to an MD role, but most PAs can start working directly with patients sooner and for less tuition. So choose that role clearly. Becoming a PA, however, requires a rigorous process. They are second only to physicians and have the highest level of clinical training in the medical profession.7
Physician assistants aim to be part of a collaborative medical team, working one-on-one with patients, often under the supervision of a physician in diagnosing and planning treatment.
Additionally, although “assistant” may sound secondary, PAs have many of the same responsibilities as licensed physicians. A PA’s scope of practice varies by state and is determined by state licensing requirements.8
Do nurses have the same educational requirements as PAs?
One might think that Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) have roughly the same education. This is understandable as the profession handles many of the same duties such as:
- Conducting a physical examination
- Running a medical history
- Providing general patient care
- Educate and counsel patients about treatment plans and precautions
- Order and analyze diagnostic tests
- Diagnosis of illness or injury
- prescription of medicine
however, PA vs NPincluding differences in educational requirements.
Nurse practitioners complete graduate nursing programs and PAs participate in graduate programs based on the medical model. Additionally, a Physician Assistant must complete a 2,000-hour clinical rotation, as opposed to her 500-650 hours required for NP.
Is becoming a PA worth the time and effort?
While the answer to this question varies from person to person, PA has the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the health and lives of others. Therefore, those who want their career to center around helping others will find it worth the time and effort.
A career as a PA also has the following benefits:
- healthy salary – The median annual income for a Physician Assistant is $121,530.9
- Job Information – PA is in demand nationwide, with job growth of 28%. With this, it is predicted that between 2021 and 2031, he will have over 38,400 PA job vacancies.Ten
- room for progress – Physician assistants may choose to specialize in a particular area, such as rheumatology or women’s health. Specialization can often lead to higher wages.
- career satisfaction – In a survey released by the National Academy of Medicine, 75% of PAs reported that they enjoy their work.11 US News & World Report ranks the PA profession as the 2nd best job in the healthcare industry and generally the 3rd best job.12
Are there similar jobs in healthcare?
There are several other roles in healthcare that enable direct patient care and/or medical research and may lead to job satisfaction. Here’s a sampling:
- family nurse practitioner
- Certified Nurse Anesthesiologist
- nurse
- clinical researcher
- nutritionist
Physician assistants are in increasing demand as they facilitate access to healthcare. They derive satisfaction and personal meaning from their work by helping people live healthier and longer lives.
USAHS is pleased to announce its new Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, the application will start in April 2023. Visit the MSPAS program page today to learn more about the PA program structure, accreditation status, and what sets the USAHS PA program apart.
The University of St. Augustine Health Sciences (USAHS) is developing a Master of Science in Science (MSPAS) program. We will begin accepting applications in April 2023 for the first cohort starting in January 2024. The program is held directly on our campus in Austin, Texas and consists of four semesters of instructional phases and his three semesters. clinical stage. The student completes her seven core rotations in a variety of outpatient settings and hospitals, plus her two elective rotations of choice.
USAHS’s MSPAS program has applied for Accreditation – Provisional from the Accreditation Review Board for the Education of Physician Assistants (ARC-PA). USAHS’ MSPAS plans to enroll her first MSPAS class in January 2024 until she achieves Accredited Provisional Status at her ARC-PA meeting in September 2023. Accreditation-Provisional appears to indicate the program’s ability to meet ARC-PA criteria if the plans and resource allocations of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students are fully implemented as planned. Certification status granted when a program is certified, or if the program holds certification. – Interim status appears to indicate continued progress in compliance with standards as we prepare for the graduation of our first class (cohort) of students.
If the program is not granted accredited provisional status by ARC-PA, students accepted into the MSPAS program at USAHS will receive a full refund of their bond and the program will not enroll in January 2024.
