CAREER INTEREST:PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

Kathryn Dougherty27 August, 2016Health 4190; Mrs. Meyer

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History of Physician Assistant Careero Shortage of primary care physicians triggered career in 1960’so First program at Duke with Navy medics (1967)

o Modeled after fast-track plan used in World War IIo Initiated after Vietnam War, surplus of medics with no M.D/D.O

o Lots of experience which could be usefulo National accreditation was established in 1970’s

o Standardized examo Necessity for continuation of medical education requirements

o Career has grown exponentially since that point and schooling has become increasing competitive

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• Bachelors and Masters currently offered along with 5 year accelerated BA-PA• Masters is the minimum education requirement for becoming a PA• Masters programs last between 24 and 27 months

• Many students do go directly from their undergraduate school into graduate school by acquiring hours over their summers and during the school year

• General courses covered include- • Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Clinical Medicine, Medical Laws and Ethics, Pharmacology

• 2,000 clinical hours be completed before entering the field• Acquired by 10 Rotations (2 are elective)

• Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE).• 5 hours, 300 MC questions• Have 6 chances over 6 years to pass the test, if not must repeat schooling

• Recertification occurs through the PANRE exam

• Shorter, Primary care focus• Must be taken in last 2 years of every 10 year cycle

Education Requirements

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CLINICAL ROTATIONS• Internal Medicine: (8 weeks)

• Learn to gather medical data, assess patients and create plans for patients

• Emergency Medicine (4 weeks)• Hospital ER, high intensity trauma,

surgical intervention, triage• Surgery (4 weeks)

• Pre and post operative rounds, teaching conferences

• Pediatrics (6 Weeks)• Private physician practices, childhood

development, well and sick children• OBGYN (6 weeks)

• Inpatient/outpatient, Labor delivery, family planning, gynecology, prenatal/ postpartum care

• Family Medicine (8 weeks)

• Private practice, acute and chronic care• Psychiatry (4 weeks)

• Correctional facility, mix of care, Continue care of psychiatric patients

• Infectious Disease (5 weeks)• Patient management

• Clinical selective rotations• Focus on medial or surgical subspecialty• adolescent medicine,

allergy/immunology, bariatric surgery, dermatology, hematology, internal medicine, nephrology, orthopedics, rheumatology, surgery, trauma care, and urology.

• Clinical elective rotations• Select from 2 dozen electives, even

more freedom

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Pre-Requisites for PA school• Required Courses:

• Vary by school see following slide for general recommendations for several top schools• Hands on Patient Contact Hours

• Some schools have set amount others recommend an amount while others don’t specify• Goal to be a top candidate-500 to 1,000 hours• This includes EMT, Paramedic, Nursing, Medical Scribes, PT aide/assistant

• Shadowing Hours

• Not necessary but helps to show proven interest in the PA career path• GRE

• Most schools don’t require it but it can be beneficial• Personal Statement and CASPA• Why do you want to be a PA? What would make you a good one?

• 3 Letters of Recommendation

• Want to ”showcase strengths” (Pasquini)• At least one from Medical professional

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Required Courses

U-upper levelL-lower levelX- General Rec

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COST OF SCHOOLHowever, many scholarships and programs

contingent on pledging service prior to school make is much more affordable

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GENERAL JOB DESCRIPTION

• ”Practice medicine under physicians and surgeons”

• General tasks include• Take medical histories• Diagnose and treat patients• Order and interpret lab

tests• Suture, splint and cast

• While they work under physician, many times (especially in rural areas) they

are the primary provider who can call upon physicians when needed

• NY, CA, TX, PA, FL have the highest number of PAs

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Specialty Interests

• Cardiology• Assist in surgery

• Harvest vein from leg to be used in the heart

• Diagnose and treat patients

• Sports Medicine• Assist doctor in surgeries• Diagnose and assess patients• Suture, splint, cast• Shadowed Orthopedic PA

specializing in knee and shoulder cartilage replacement this summer• Found I would rather focus

on sports medicine and treating sprains and breaks in athletes

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Salary and hours• Generally work 40-50 hours a week unless working in ER

or other specialty which may require them to be on call• Average Salary out of school• Average Salary: $97,280 (comparable with NP)

• 75th percentile: $114,760• 25th percentile: $82,090• Salary has been steadily rising (put in chart)

• Highest paying focus• Highest Paying states: NV, RI, NH, ND, CT• Santa Fe, NM has highest average wage: 163,070

• http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Physician_Assistant_(PA)/Salary

EXPECTED JOB GROWTH

• Currently 94,400 jobs in the US• Expected growth of 30% between 2014

and 2024 due to high demand for health care services

• This is much higher than other professions

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• Problem Solving• Critical Thinking• Interpersonal skills/

Communication• Clinical Competence• Operational Management-clerical

tasks and health administration• Adaptability and Flexibility• Service Oriented-independent and

team work to help others

NECESSARY ATTRIBUTES

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CONFIRMATION WITH O*NET• My Code: SIR

• Social was the strongest 29 points• Investigative was high with 18 points• Realistic was next with 9 points, rest had

none

• Physician Assistant Code: SIR• Code was directly in line with my code• Interesting point: Doctors did not have

the same code but most Therapies did• Therapy was another consideration of

mine but after shadowing both careers decided PA was a better fit for me

• According to O*Net a key factor in PA career is patient interaction which is why the high social score correlates

"29-1071.00 - Physician Assistants." 29-1071.00 - Physician Assistants. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2016.

"Clinical Rotations: Master of Physician Assistant Studies – UT Southwestern, Dallas, Texas." UT Southwestern Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2016.

Jobs, U.S. News Best. "Physician Assistant Ranks Among Best Jobs of 2016." Physician Assistant. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2016.

"Maintaining Certification." How and When to Maintain Your Physician Assistant Certification. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2016.

Pasqini, Stephen, PA-C. "How to Design the Perfect Pre-PA School Curriculum: Making Sense of PA School Prerequisites." The Physician Assistant Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2016.

Pasquini, Stephen, PA-C. "2015 Physician Assistant Program |Tuition and Cost Comparison Table | The Physician Assistant Life." The Physician Assistant Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2016.

Pasquini, Stephen, PA-C. "Physician Assistant Salary Comparison Table | 2015 Pay by State | The Physician Assistant Life." The Physician Assistant Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2016.

"Physician Assistant (PA) Salary (United States) United States Home Change Country Don't See What You Are Looking For?Get A Free Custom Salary Report »." Physician Assistant (PA) Salary. Pay Scale (Human Capital), n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2016.

"Physician Assistant Programs & Careers | How to Become a Physician Assistant." How to Become. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2016.

"Understanding the NCCPA Blueprint for PANCE/PANRE - NEJM Knowledge." NEJM Knowledge. N.p., 2015. Web. 27 Aug. 2016.

Works Cited

http://www.thepalife.com/2015-physician-assistant-program-tuition-and-cost-comparison-table/http://www.thepalife.com/prerequisites/http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/education/school-of-health-professions/programs/masters-programs/physician-assistant-studies/curriculum/clinical-rotations.htmlhttp://knowledgeplus.nejm.org/understanding-the-nccpa-blueprint-for-pance-panre/https://www.nccpa.net/certificationprocesshttp://www.learnhowtobecome.org/physician-assistant/http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/education/school-of-health-professions/programs/masters-programs/physician-assistant-studies/curriculum/clinical-rotations.htmlhttp://www.thepalife.com/salary-2015/http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Physician_Assistant_(PA)/Salaryhttp://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/physician-assistanthttp://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1071.00