The healthcare industry is witnessing boom times and naturally, physician assistant jobs are on a roll. With it growing in demand in both rural and urban areas, here is a guide to the physician assistant career.
The typical physician assistant has successfully completed course work in a 26-month specialized program after receiving a 4-year degree. Both this and some job experience is required. All physician assistants must get themselves re-certified every six years and they must complete 100 hours of ongoing education every two years.
In the industry there are two professional bodies - the one that regulates is known as the AAPA (American Association of Physician Assistants) and the one that administers certification exams and tracks the continuing education credits which is called NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants).
Physician assistants are an important part of the doctors office. Often they are allowed to work independently within a doctor's office, but they are also supervised by a licensed doctor. They are required to provide response within one hour of their doctor's call.
They help in diagnosis and analyzing lab reports including x-rays. Also, the physician assistant can assist patients with writing prescriptions for medications or therapy, examinations, as well as helping the doctor by listening to patients' needs, recording their history, and providing surgical assistance. Plus, the physician assistant must possess excellent communication skills as he has to interact with patients most of the time.
Spending most of their time on their feet, physician assistants do a vast majority of attending to and interacting with the patients. Assistants who are part of a surgical team are the busiest of the lot. This is not an easy job - it requires handling stress and working late nights, weekends and holidays. The physician assistant must handle all physical and mental stress with a cool and calm that does not show on his face because that may panic the patient.
The tasks that a physician assistant can perform vary in each American state. In order to know the exact job responsibilities for that state, you will want to refer to that state's employment website.
It is expected that physician assistant jobs will grow more rapidly in availability compared to other jobs. Physician assistants demand is especially higher in hospitals, clinics, prisons and other facilities situated in rural and inner city areas. As per a government report published in 2008-end, it is estimated that physician assistants jobs are expected to grow by 39% from 2008 to 2018. The increased demand is caused by the simultaneous evolution and cost lowering initiatives that are happening in the healthcare industry. The healthcare industry is lowering its costs while not compromising their quality of service and productivity by appointing physician assistants. States too are now allowing physician assistants to perform more medical procedures and all these factors are leading to a higher demand for professionals.
There are a few factors which determine a physician assistant salary which are as follows:
Specialization: Physician assistants that do not specialize in a particular type of medical condition like HIV, AIDS or cancer will often receive a lower salary than a physician assistant that has training to handle these types of conditions. The demand for specialized physical assistants is very high and their salary can even exceed the maximum figure (given below).
Area: Rural healthcare facilities pay lesser than urban centers. Also, it is typical that the pay in urban centers located in denser populated areas is higher than urban centers that are located in less dense areas. Urban areas often have a higher cost of living compared to their rural counterparts which can attribute to the higher salary.
Experience can factor into this as well. The more experience that a physician assistant has the higher salary that they will receive.
Physician assistants have salaries that average between $75,000 and $106,000 annually according to salary.com. Aside from a few exceptions, a typical salary range is between $65, 000 and $90,000. Remember, that specialization counts and so, specialized physician assistants can expect to get a higher salary. Hospitals and outpatient centers pay the highest salary, while government facilities and educational institutions pay low. As stated above, urban centers pay higher than rural centers.
It is also expected that a physician assistant's employer will pay for their professional liability insurance, state licensing fees, registration fees, and credential fees.
Physician assistants can choose to specialize in handling critical medical conditions like HIV/AIDS, neonatology, cancer, etc. Those that do specialize in these critical medical conditions, like mentioned above, will often be paid a much higher salary. Specialization programs are offered by many schools in fields like surgery, cancer, HIV, neonatology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and much more.
Then, a physician assistant can enroll for a postgraduate residency training program in areas like emergency medicine, rural primary care, occupational medicine, etc.
A physician assistant pay increases with time and experience. A licensed doctor must always supervise the assistant, regardless of pay or specialization.
Physician assistant jobs have many advantages - PAs do not have to attend to med school, they do not have to go through the taxing internship that all doctors go through, and they can learn different specialties or move from one specialty to another with ease. Helping people recover from major and minor medical conditions can also a benefit to most as it is rewarding and self-satisfying to help others in need.
Every day is different in the life of a PA and he comes across new challenges daily. A physician assistant can never be an entrepreneur because he can only work under the supervision of a licensed doctor.
This concludes the guide and contains all you need to know about a job as a physician assistant.
The typical physician assistant has successfully completed course work in a 26-month specialized program after receiving a 4-year degree. Both this and some job experience is required. All physician assistants must get themselves re-certified every six years and they must complete 100 hours of ongoing education every two years.
In the industry there are two professional bodies - the one that regulates is known as the AAPA (American Association of Physician Assistants) and the one that administers certification exams and tracks the continuing education credits which is called NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants).
Physician assistants are an important part of the doctors office. Often they are allowed to work independently within a doctor's office, but they are also supervised by a licensed doctor. They are required to provide response within one hour of their doctor's call.
They help in diagnosis and analyzing lab reports including x-rays. Also, the physician assistant can assist patients with writing prescriptions for medications or therapy, examinations, as well as helping the doctor by listening to patients' needs, recording their history, and providing surgical assistance. Plus, the physician assistant must possess excellent communication skills as he has to interact with patients most of the time.
Spending most of their time on their feet, physician assistants do a vast majority of attending to and interacting with the patients. Assistants who are part of a surgical team are the busiest of the lot. This is not an easy job - it requires handling stress and working late nights, weekends and holidays. The physician assistant must handle all physical and mental stress with a cool and calm that does not show on his face because that may panic the patient.
The tasks that a physician assistant can perform vary in each American state. In order to know the exact job responsibilities for that state, you will want to refer to that state's employment website.
It is expected that physician assistant jobs will grow more rapidly in availability compared to other jobs. Physician assistants demand is especially higher in hospitals, clinics, prisons and other facilities situated in rural and inner city areas. As per a government report published in 2008-end, it is estimated that physician assistants jobs are expected to grow by 39% from 2008 to 2018. The increased demand is caused by the simultaneous evolution and cost lowering initiatives that are happening in the healthcare industry. The healthcare industry is lowering its costs while not compromising their quality of service and productivity by appointing physician assistants. States too are now allowing physician assistants to perform more medical procedures and all these factors are leading to a higher demand for professionals.
There are a few factors which determine a physician assistant salary which are as follows:
Specialization: Physician assistants that do not specialize in a particular type of medical condition like HIV, AIDS or cancer will often receive a lower salary than a physician assistant that has training to handle these types of conditions. The demand for specialized physical assistants is very high and their salary can even exceed the maximum figure (given below).
Area: Rural healthcare facilities pay lesser than urban centers. Also, it is typical that the pay in urban centers located in denser populated areas is higher than urban centers that are located in less dense areas. Urban areas often have a higher cost of living compared to their rural counterparts which can attribute to the higher salary.
Experience can factor into this as well. The more experience that a physician assistant has the higher salary that they will receive.
Physician assistants have salaries that average between $75,000 and $106,000 annually according to salary.com. Aside from a few exceptions, a typical salary range is between $65, 000 and $90,000. Remember, that specialization counts and so, specialized physician assistants can expect to get a higher salary. Hospitals and outpatient centers pay the highest salary, while government facilities and educational institutions pay low. As stated above, urban centers pay higher than rural centers.
It is also expected that a physician assistant's employer will pay for their professional liability insurance, state licensing fees, registration fees, and credential fees.
Physician assistants can choose to specialize in handling critical medical conditions like HIV/AIDS, neonatology, cancer, etc. Those that do specialize in these critical medical conditions, like mentioned above, will often be paid a much higher salary. Specialization programs are offered by many schools in fields like surgery, cancer, HIV, neonatology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and much more.
Then, a physician assistant can enroll for a postgraduate residency training program in areas like emergency medicine, rural primary care, occupational medicine, etc.
A physician assistant pay increases with time and experience. A licensed doctor must always supervise the assistant, regardless of pay or specialization.
Physician assistant jobs have many advantages - PAs do not have to attend to med school, they do not have to go through the taxing internship that all doctors go through, and they can learn different specialties or move from one specialty to another with ease. Helping people recover from major and minor medical conditions can also a benefit to most as it is rewarding and self-satisfying to help others in need.
Every day is different in the life of a PA and he comes across new challenges daily. A physician assistant can never be an entrepreneur because he can only work under the supervision of a licensed doctor.
This concludes the guide and contains all you need to know about a job as a physician assistant.
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