3 answers
Tiffany
Student
Dacono, Colorado
2
Questions
Updated
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What Is the most challenging part of becoming a PA (Physician Assistant) And what is a good way to prepare for these challenges? #Spring24 ?
Additional Information about me is I'm really passionate about healthcare. And I enjoy it because I'm helping other people, feel like their best self. At the moment I am working on obtaining my CNA license. And plan on going to college to become a PA this really interested me because not only do I get to spend time with patients, but I also have the chance to learn about so many different aspects of healthcare to treat patients.
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3 answers
Martin Schoen
APRN
207
Answers
Ocala, Florida
Updated
Martin’s Answer
Choosing a career as a Physician Assistant (PA) is a fantastic decision. This profession necessitates a college education and a master's or graduate degree. It's a remarkable field, but based on your description, you might also consider becoming a Nurse Practitioner (NP). Both of these healthcare professions perform very similar tasks, but there are some distinctions.
Presently, a PA must work alongside a physician, and their PA license is their first. The NP profession used to be similar, but now, in many places, NPs can operate independently and even own their practices. An NP's first license is as a Registered Nurse (RN), with the NP license being their second.
Both PAs and NPs primarily provide the same patient care, but their educational paths differ. The training of a PA generally mirrors that of a medical student, and their license is granted by the Medical Board. On the other hand, NPs, having already earned their bachelor's degree and nursing board, will have completed a significant portion of the science courses. Their graduate training will build upon these subjects and provide practical experience in their clinical rotations.
The key difference lies in the models they use. PAs follow a more medical model, while NPs use this model in conjunction with the nursing model. After gaining some experience, their patient care abilities will be nearly identical in most practices.
NPs do tend to earn slightly more, but this shouldn't be the primary factor in your decision. Remember, both paths are rewarding and offer the chance to make a significant impact in healthcare.
Presently, a PA must work alongside a physician, and their PA license is their first. The NP profession used to be similar, but now, in many places, NPs can operate independently and even own their practices. An NP's first license is as a Registered Nurse (RN), with the NP license being their second.
Both PAs and NPs primarily provide the same patient care, but their educational paths differ. The training of a PA generally mirrors that of a medical student, and their license is granted by the Medical Board. On the other hand, NPs, having already earned their bachelor's degree and nursing board, will have completed a significant portion of the science courses. Their graduate training will build upon these subjects and provide practical experience in their clinical rotations.
The key difference lies in the models they use. PAs follow a more medical model, while NPs use this model in conjunction with the nursing model. After gaining some experience, their patient care abilities will be nearly identical in most practices.
NPs do tend to earn slightly more, but this shouldn't be the primary factor in your decision. Remember, both paths are rewarding and offer the chance to make a significant impact in healthcare.
Hwal Lee
DMSc, PA-C
203
Answers
Albany, New York
Updated
Hwal’s Answer
Tiffany,
I'm a PA in my fourth year of practice. I also became a CNA while working on my bachelor's degree, and I think working as a CNA has lots of potential to give you healthcare and patient care experience that is not only a great foundation for a PA career, but also a great asset to your PA school application.
Before moving to the U.S. from Australia, I always thought the only way to practice medicine was to go to medical school, so discovering and learning about the PA profession was a great revelation to me, and I'm glad about my decision. Consistently rigorous medical training of PA schools was ultimately what led me to choose to become a PA compared to one or more similar medical profession, but this was also one of the most challenging aspects of my training: during didactic training, I was in the classroom 8am-5pm Monday to Friday, and took a total of almost 100 exams and tests before clinical rotations started. The clinical rotations were both incredibly exciting and challenging, and I really value the opportunity to complete supervised clinical rotations in pediatrics, internal medicine, orthopaedics, family medicine, general surgery, psychiatry, and women's health, to name a few.
Generally speaking, I would encourage you to make sure you're in good physical and mental health before starting PA school. Admission to PA school is exceptionally competitive, and for the year that I was accepted, the acceptance rate for our program was less than 5%. But once you're accepted, if my experience is anything to go by, you will have received rigorous medical training when you graduate and you will be ready to be an integral member of a healthcare team. This is important because no clinician truly in today's health care space practices 'independently.'
You may find this link about the steps to become a PA helpful:
https://www.aapa.org/career-central/become-a-pa/
Let me know if you have any specific questions I can help with. Good luck!
Hwal
I'm a PA in my fourth year of practice. I also became a CNA while working on my bachelor's degree, and I think working as a CNA has lots of potential to give you healthcare and patient care experience that is not only a great foundation for a PA career, but also a great asset to your PA school application.
Before moving to the U.S. from Australia, I always thought the only way to practice medicine was to go to medical school, so discovering and learning about the PA profession was a great revelation to me, and I'm glad about my decision. Consistently rigorous medical training of PA schools was ultimately what led me to choose to become a PA compared to one or more similar medical profession, but this was also one of the most challenging aspects of my training: during didactic training, I was in the classroom 8am-5pm Monday to Friday, and took a total of almost 100 exams and tests before clinical rotations started. The clinical rotations were both incredibly exciting and challenging, and I really value the opportunity to complete supervised clinical rotations in pediatrics, internal medicine, orthopaedics, family medicine, general surgery, psychiatry, and women's health, to name a few.
Generally speaking, I would encourage you to make sure you're in good physical and mental health before starting PA school. Admission to PA school is exceptionally competitive, and for the year that I was accepted, the acceptance rate for our program was less than 5%. But once you're accepted, if my experience is anything to go by, you will have received rigorous medical training when you graduate and you will be ready to be an integral member of a healthcare team. This is important because no clinician truly in today's health care space practices 'independently.'
You may find this link about the steps to become a PA helpful:
https://www.aapa.org/career-central/become-a-pa/
Let me know if you have any specific questions I can help with. Good luck!
Hwal
Godfrey Magawe
Clinical officer nephrology
99
Answers
Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya
Updated
Godfrey’s Answer
PA is good option within the Medical careers.
However PA is offered at Masters level which prevents many people without Bachelor degree.
We also have few options on PA at masters level like Surgical PA, paediatric PA, Obsgyne PA, Oncology PA, Nephrology PA among others.
PA also requires one to be attached to a major hospital and one can be seconded for registration by the PA board by their attached Physician.
The cost of studying PA also is enormous it ranges to about $90000. Which many students from low income households cannot afford.
However scholarship are available for PA and students can purse such.
Getting attached to a major hospital with adequate Physicians help one get the best training and skills for an all round PA.
However PA is offered at Masters level which prevents many people without Bachelor degree.
We also have few options on PA at masters level like Surgical PA, paediatric PA, Obsgyne PA, Oncology PA, Nephrology PA among others.
PA also requires one to be attached to a major hospital and one can be seconded for registration by the PA board by their attached Physician.
The cost of studying PA also is enormous it ranges to about $90000. Which many students from low income households cannot afford.
However scholarship are available for PA and students can purse such.
Getting attached to a major hospital with adequate Physicians help one get the best training and skills for an all round PA.