Physicians Assistant

Physicians AssistantMegan Pazdersky

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WHAT IS A PA?-Are health care providers who practice medicine

-Can diagnose, treat and prescribe medicine for patients under the supervision of a licensed physician

Began in the mid-1960s once the shortage of primary care physicians was recognizedEugene A. Stead JR., MD of the Duke University Medical Center, put together the 1st class of PAs in 1965. That graduated on Oct. 6th 1967 The American Academy of Physicians Assistants was established and incorporated in the state of North Carolina in 1968As of July 2007 there are 141 accredited PA programs throughout the country Today PAs can practice medicine in all 50 statesHistory of Physicians Assistants

Takes your medical historyConduct physical examsDiagnose and treat illnessesOrder and interpret testsDevelop treatment plansCounsel you on preventative careAssist in surgeryWrite prescriptions Make rounds in hospitals and nursing homes How does a Physicians Assistant practice medicine?

Most programs are 26 months in lengthMost require the same prerequisites as medical schoolMore than 2,000 hours of clinical rotationsStudents take basic courses in science, behavioral sciences and clinical medicine AnatomyPharmacologyMicrobiologuyectWhat are the educational requirements of a PA?

PAs must graduate from an accredited program Pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying ExamGet licensed by the stateIn order to maintain the certificationComplete a recertification exam every 10 yearsComplete 100 hours of continuing medical education every 2 yearsHow are Physicians Assistants certified and licensed?

Active listening Critical ThinkingSpeaking skillsService orientedDeductive reasoningCalm demeanorEnergetic PatienceSkills That I Possess That make A Great Choice for Physician Assistant School

Median annual salary in 2013 : 92,970Lowest 10 percent made about 62,030Median wages in 2014 : 46.07 hourly, 95,820 annuallyProjected growth (2012-2022) much faster than average (22 percent or higher)

Potential Growth/ Salary Range

Getting into an accredited PA programSchools I'm interested inPrerequisite course workWhy I'm a good candidate

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General Microbiology with lab ( 4 credits)Anatomy and Physiology 1 with lab (4 credits)Anatomy and Physiology 2 with lab ( 4 credits)General Chemistry 1 with lab (4 credits)General Chemistry 2 with lab ( 4 credist)Organic Chemistry with lab OR Biochemistry Intro to Psychology Developmental Psychology Elementary StatisticsNutritionGenetics

General Prerequisite Course Work (each PA program can be different)

Bachelors degree prior to admissionMinimum 3.0 GPAMinimum of 800 ( 1600 preferred) documented hours in patient contact or medical related experienceCompletion of prerequisite math and science courses with a B or better3.0 or higher science GPAGRE scores26-month programEstimated In-state tuition : 33,016.00Estimated In state ( in county) tuition:26,123.00

Towson University/ CCBC ( on accreditation probation)

Apply through the Central Application Service for Physician AssistantSubmit GRE scores ( no older than 5 years)Complete a Bachelors degree GPA higher than a 3.00Cumulative GPA higher than 2.8Criminal Background CheckMinimum of 300 hours of health care experience, 40 hours under the supervision of a certified PANo history of drug abuse or conviction of a felonyEstimated Tuition for a Maryland resident : 28,960.00Application date November 1st

University of Maryland Eastern Shore ( on probation)

I scored highest in Social, Enterprising and Investigative in my O*net reportI current have above a 3.0 GPAIm well on my way in terms of logging hours and passing my prerequisite course workI went on a medical mission trip to Guatemala this summer where I learned that I really enjoy hands on interaction with patientsTraitsDetail orientedCompassionateHard- workingInterest in continual learningCritical thinking skills

Why should I become a PA?

I was originally drawn to PA school after witnessing my cousin go through medical school and residency. I want to be able to have a family and a career and I feel as if PA school is best for me.Ive known since I was a little girl that I was going to do something in the field of medicine when I grew up.I plan to keep up my grades, log more hours and finish my prerequisite course work so that I am able to apply to PA school and be a competitive candidateI'm not sure which specialty I want to go into. But I'm hoping to find that out in the future.What does my future look like?

https://www.aacc.edu/physassist/file/2WebPrerequisites2015.pdfhttps://www.aapa.org/become-a-pa/http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1071.00http://grad.towson.edu/program/master/past-ms/files/ProgramInfoBooklet.pdf

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