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What does the day in the life of a physician assistant consist of? How rigorous were the classes in college for this program?

I am a senior in high school and am applying to the pre-physician assistant program at a couple of colleges. I am very interested in science and would love to know more about this major.

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Tara’s Answer

I have been a physician assistant for 26 years and I still love it! A day in the life of a PA depends on what area of medicine you work in. I have worked in the hospital for 15 years and it can be very fast paced and long days or you could have a day where everything goes as planned and you leave early( rare). I took care of inpatient rehab patients with needs like traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, strokes, heart conditions etc. I have also worked in a clinic the last 11 years taking care of employees and performing routine exams. I am currently beginning a new job working in pain management and mental health. There are so many areas of medicine to work in you could literally do almost anything. It also depends where you will live and work. Each state has its own rules and laws that regulate PAs. PA school is pretty intense, it’s usually school for 8 hours a day, mostly all science, the first year ; and the next year you rotate monthly in different areas of medicine . It is a very rewarding career with good pay and flexibility. One piece of advice I would give , when you are an undergrad I would recommend taking human anatomy with a cadaver lab. Trust me it will save your sanity in PA school if you have that experience already. Hope this helps! Good luck!
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Hwal’s Answer

Samantha,

Both Scott and Tara shared good advice and information. I'm a family medicine PA in my second year of full-time practice, and can confirm PA education is rigorous. Being in a PA school was like having a full-time job. This means that during the didactic year I was mostly in classrooms and labs around 8am-5pm Monday through Friday. During clinical year, I went through a series of month-long rotations in many different specialties over 14 months, including general surgery, women's health, orthopaedics, paediatrics, emergency medicine, psychiatry, internal medicine, and family medicine. And I think this rigorous medical training prepared me well for postgraduate practice.

I think you might find lots of helpful and interesting information here, from NCCPA:

https://www.pasdothat.net/

And here, from the American Academy of PAs:

https://www.aapa.org/about/what-is-a-pa/

Also, you can apply to PA schools with any undergraduate major as long as you have completed the prerequisite coursework of the PA program(s) you want to apply to, so I hope you pursue a major that you enjoy the most.

Let me know if you have any specific questions for me.

Good luck!

Hwal
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