Nursing versus Physician’s Assistant College is quickly approaching, so it is time I finalize what I want to do with my future. I have always wanted to be a nurse, but being a physician’s assistant has recently caught my eye. For the past year or so, I have been torn between the two because although they are both in the medical field, they come with many differences. Nurses and physician assistants take time out of their day to put other people’s lives above theirs and have fairly similar hours, but the process it takes to get there, the pay, the daily duties, and the average day are all significantly different. Even though both are different in the more technical aspects of things, they both have equally important roles in the medical field. …show more content…
Usually, physician’s assistants start out with a bachelor’s degree or another job related experience. Gene Hall, a physician’s assistant at Mayo Hospital, said, “I started as a registered nurse and it made the process of becoming a physician’s assistant a lot easier.” Four years of undergraduate coursework are required and it takes about two more years of full-time study on top of that. Like nurses, they also have to complete a residency after obtaining their license. To get a physician’s assistant license, they must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination and continue to take and pass it every 10 years. Gene added, “The exam was by far the hardest test I have ever taken. You have to effectively study for many weeks because it is an important exam to pass.” Physician assistants also have to have one hundred hours of continuing education every two years. Gene commented, “It is a little intimidating to hear you have to continue your education throughout your life, but it is really beneficial to you and your …show more content…
The daily tasks of a nurse are different every day, and sometimes they are very chaotic. Darcy said, “Every day is different, sometimes you feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off and other days you are bored with nothing to do.” A nurse’s most important job is to provide care for their patient and observe them throughout their stay at the hospital. They record the patients’ medical history and current symptoms and set up medical plans with consultation with a doctor. They are not able to prescribe medicine, but they can administer it. Nursing can take a huge physical toll on someone’s body, Darcy recalled, “I was nearing the last hour and a half of my shift. It had been one of my busiest shifts and I was struggling to keep up with the pace. I just wanted to go to bed. It seemed like every time I finished one job, I was getting three more thrown at me.” There is a lot of standing, walking, and lifting patients every day, along with close contact with patients and infectious
In the beginning of fall of 2016, I got a job as a medical assistant. It’s long process to get this sort of job, at least with the University of Utah so when I finally went through the orientation, lab training, computer training, and community clinics I got to work and realized there was, even more, training. Every clinic has its personal preferences and rules, so I had to start from scratch with the training I already had. As soon as I got therenoticeI was a given a quick tour of the clinic and given all the rules, passwords and regulations. It was already too much to handle, but I was memorizing as much as I could. I can’t always function under pressure, but I tried not to let my nerves get to me.
These programs are usually available at the master's level and often require applicants to have bachelor's degrees and some amount of experience in the healthcare profession to gain admission. Many physician assistants serve as emergency medical technicians, nurses or paramedics before pursuing admission to physician assistant programs. Physician assistant programs generally take 26 months of full-time study to complete. During the first year, students focus on classroom instruction in medical science and clinical preparation. Courses may include pathology, pediatrics, diagnosis, surgical technique, emergency medicine, pharmacology and research methods. Afterward, the curriculum shifts to focus mostly on clinical rotations in various disciplines, such as general surgery, gynecology and behavioral medicine. During these rotations, students gain first-hand experience in patient care under the supervision of licensed physicians. Physician assistants are required to be licensed by the state in which they practice. Along with completion of an accredited training program, the licensing process entails passage of the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, evaluates fundamental medical and surgical comprehension (www.nccpa.net). PA’s who pass the PANCE may use the Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C) designation. Physician assistants must earn 100 continuing education credits every two years. They are also required to pass the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam every six
Ranked third by U.S. News and World Report on the list of “Best Health Care Jobs of 2017”, the Physician Assistant career has a 96 percent job-satisfaction rate, and represents one of the fastest growing jobs in the nation. Created as a position to relieve the job shortage of primary care physicians, Physician Assistants first came to be in the mid-1960s. Since then, the number of PAs in practice has just about doubled with every decade helping to improve health care not just nationally, but on a global level as well. Physician Assistants are licensed to practice medicine, prescribe medication, treat chronic illnesses, and assist in surgery in all 50 states under supervision of a physician. Although some medical practitioners perceive the role
Physician Assistant is a career choice that entails various specialties and flexibilities that attracts many. Those who desires a path to practice medicine as soon as possible, PA 's lateral mobility allows that to happen. Compared to medical school, PA school requires less time and amount less debt. As the population grows and chronic diseases spreads, The future projection of PA is growing faster than the average careers.
The medical field is among the largest and ever growing career fields, especially when dealing with Physician Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs). In the 1960’s when the physician shortage began, the medical field created the PA and NP positions to fill in the gaps (Curren, 2007, p. 404). This matter has opened up numerous questions as more and more PAs and NPs begin practicing, especially concerning their education level. Many patients are concerned that they will not get the proper care. PAs/NPs are beneficial to everyday life by providing patients with the necessary skills needed to successfully treat them.
Nurses have a considerable amount of responsibility in any facility. They are responsible for administering medicines and treatments to there patient’s. While caring for there patients, nurses will make observations on patient’s health and then record there findings. As well as consulting with doctors and other healthcare professionals to plan proper individual patient care. They teach their patients how to manage their illnesses and explain to both the patient and the patients family how to continue treatment when returning home (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014-15). They also record p...
The steps of education to become a medical assistant is obtaining a Post-secondary degree (offers social/ economic benefits), Associate’s degree (course of study usually 2 years community college, junior college, technical college), and High school diploma (graduation of high school). To attend this job (medical assisting) it takes 2 years at the most. The main degree for this job that is needed is an Associate’s degree. Training starts when you apply for the job and you get called in for training to prepare you for the experience before you actually start the
Certified medical assistants most often come from a background that includes formal training through a number of accredited program, whether a one year certificate program or a two year associate’s degree programs. Training programs are available through a number of accredited online and campus based institutions. Regardless of the learning plan you choose, you will learn lab skills, medical terminology, clinical procedures, and medical office
After review of my skills, interests, and experiences, I decided to pursue the medical career field as my first career choice, more specifically as a physician assistant. I will exceed in this position in the interest of that I like to help people and I solve problems well. Also, I communicate well with others and I have a great amount of patience. There are various careers that fit my skills and interests, but this one grabs my attention. My dream job is to be a doctor, but this occupation allows one to save money by lessening the years of school required. Also, the pay isn’t too shabby either. I will be successful in this position due to my skills, characteristics, and values, like honesty and helping others. Up to this point, I have job shadowed at a medical billing company and I like the idea of diagnosing and helping people, but a desk job is not ideal. Also, I took a medical terminology as a class and I discovered that I like how the body works and what it does. These factors have all influenced my career goal.
If you are a new student and are thinking about pursuing a career in the medical field, like me, you have a lot of options. You could become a Registered Nurse, a Physician, a Physician Assistant, a Dentist, an Audiologist, an Anesthesiologist or many other professions. In this article I am going to narrow it down for you between a Physician and a Physician Assistant and I am going to tell you why I would prefer being a Physician Assistant over the highly prestigious Physician career. Physician Assistant is a relatively new career and there are many misconceptions about what individuals with this title do in the medical field.
My decision to pursue a career as an Anesthesiology Assistant is hinged on three factors; first, a desire to advance in the healthcare sector and be able to take up higher responsibilities in patient care; secondly, an intentional process of building a healthcare career that would be personally fulfilling and rewarding; and thirdly, embarking on a career path that will enable me to integrate my prior education, experiences and skills, and use them as a backdrop for effective care delivery. My undergraduate degree is in Psychology. I undertook studies in this area because I had always had a deep-seated desire to help people recover from adverse situations. At the same time, I trained and work as a medical assistant, which has enabled me to have a lot of patient contact. Based on my knowledge of psychology and my clinical experiences, I began to explore career advancement options
The adage of the adage. Although Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners are very similar in the education needed, the specialties, and the work environment, I want to become a Physician Assistant. Their schedules are more flexible and you get paid very reasonably. I can pick what kind of work environment I want to work in. I can choose an emergency room that is more stressful and fast paced or a doctor’s office that is calmer and not so stressful.
The Healthcare Professional that I chose is a Dental Assistant. The reason why I chose to use a dental assistant as the Healthcare Professional was because I think that they are very important along with the dentists. Without dental assistants, dentist’s jobs would be more stressful than it already is in their job. Dental assistants greatly increase the efficiency of the dentist in the delivery of quality oral health care are valuable members of the dental care team.
Many people rush through their daily life without contemplating their actions, thereby missing vast opportunities for achievement. They waste valuable time engaging in frivolous matters instead of putting their energies towards more productive and meaningful purposes. In the words of the Dalai Lama: “Life is not about acquiring money and other facilities; it is about dedicating your life to helping others as much as you can.” The immeasurable value of helping others has been engrained in me since childhood. As a result of my own difficult family circumstances, I have become more sensitive, kind and mindful towards others and their own situations. I have developed a passion for helping others, which, in combination with a proclivity towards medicine has lead to my descion to become a Physician Assistant. I want to live a life where I can provide healthcare and aid to anyone who needs.
I agreed that there are differences in educational background and curriculums between nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), and it seems like NPs receive the best educations that are available to them because the curriculums combined both medical and nursing models, but I often feel I am not as prepared as the PAs in regarding to manage higher acuity patients or perform different procedures in clinical practice. This feeling of inadequacy was one of my motivations of returning to school. NPs and PAs are function similarly in our institution and our job descriptions are exactly the same. However, there is a fundamental difference between NPs and PAs, and the difference is in the education.