Being A Physician Assistant Essay

620 Words2 Pages

Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions someone can make. For some people, healthcare is the way to go, and that is where physicians assisting comes in. Physicians assisting is a demanding job requiring an immense amount of knowledge and training, but is also very rewarding. There are many specialties of assisting, but the specialty focused on in this paper will be orthopedics.
On a basic level, physicians assistants (or PA’s) are required to work under a surgeon or physician and cannot practice on their own. There are PA positions in all areas of medicine, including orthopedics. The median wage for all PA’s in 2017 as stated by The Bureau of Labor Statistics was $104,860 but that can vary depending on specialty, place of employment, and experience level. The PA profession is fairly new, but a quickly growing industry with a projected growth of 37% from 2016-2026, also presented by The Bureau of Labor Statistics. PA’s are often required to work holidays, weekends, and long hours. Also, being on call is common which means a PA could be called in on very short notice. …show more content…

Beginning in high school, taking courses in topics such as biology, chemistry, and anatomy can be beneficial for the future. Following high school is four years of college, and for PA’s there is no required major. However, biochemistry, chemistry, biology, microbiology, anatomy, or physiology would be a good idea to major in because it would be helpful in preparing for PA school. There are many institutions that offer physician assistant programs, and these last from two to three years. PA programs get students ready for getting a job as a PA. The programs also include rounds of clinical rotations and typically require previous medical experience, such as being an EMT, paramedic, CNA, RN, lab assistant, or surgical

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