What should I do during college in order to prepare myself for a career in the medical field, specifically, in order to become a Physician Assistant?

Hi David,

Congratulations on your acceptance to college! A few universities offer a bachelor's degree program specifically for physician assistants. However, most universities require graduation from a bachelor's degree program for admission into a professional physician assistant (PA) program. Many bachelors' degree programs are acceptable. However, the majority of people admitted into physician assistant programs have an undergraduate degree in pre-medicine studies or one of the life sciences (like biology). Graduates must pass a national PA certification examination to be employed.

The undergraduate, certificate, and graduate programs typically include courses in the following subjects, so taking these courses would prepare you for a career as a PA:

• Anatomy and Physiology


• Clinical Biochemistry


• Clinical Medicine


• Counseling and Public Health


• Diagnostic Methods


• Electrocardiography


• Emergency Medicine


• General Surgery


• Immunology


• Medical Ethics


• Medical Microbiology


• Medical Terminology


• Neuroscience


• Pathology


• Pharmacology


• Physical Assessment


• Preventative Medicine


• Psychiatry


• Psychology


• Toxicology

Also, consider volunteering at a doctor's office and/or shadowing a healthcare professional.

Hope that helps!

Great answers. Also getting some exposure in first aid response and emergency management through St. John's ambulance will be great. Doing some health care shadowing through hospital or doctors clinic would be good too. In canada, we do not have Many places with pa so nursing is another option and become a nurse practitioner if you decide a PA is not for you.