Physician Assistant Positions: An Overview

Physician Assistant

Although physicians or surgeons are some of the most commonly recognized professionals, there are many others, including physician assistants. These workers are often overlooked, but they can play a vital role in community health services. Here is some basic information on physician assistants.

Differences Vs. Medical Assistants

Although physician assistants are often confused with medical assistants, there are several key differences. For one, the physician assistants have been approved to practice medicine, while the medical assistants are charged with completing routine lab tests and attending to matters around a medical office. Most physician assistants also have a more extensive education background than medical assistants.

Education

They usually start out with a bachelor’s degree and then move into health care-related field, whether they choose to become emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, or registered nurses (RNs). They then apply to a physician assistant education program, which usually take at least two years of fulltime study to complete. Most of these programs provide a master’s degree at their conclusion, and the curriculum includes education in anatomy, physiology, pathology, ethics, and other important areas.

Where They Work

With their medical training complete, physician assistants can begin working under a doctor or a surgeon, although the level of supervision required varies from state to state. They can work in variety of settings – in fact, they can work anywhere a physician might provide care. That means physician assistants can be seen in private physicians’ offices, outpatient care centers, and hospitals. With their high level of flexibility, physician assistants are often relied on as the first line of defense in many communities, especially in poor, inner-city neighborhoods or in rural areas, where a doctor may only be available for one or two days a week. Their focus on working in such underserved communities has improved access to health care around the nation.

Capabilities

So what, exactly, can these professional do on a daily basis? In short, they can complete many of the tasks usually associated with doctors, such as running routine examinations, interpreting charts and test results, and making diagnoses. They also have the ability to counsel patients on their treatments and to write prescriptions for them. Physician assistants who work under surgeons can be put in charge of closing incisions after surgery and provide care to the patient before and after the operation is performed.

Promising Outlook

Many people are interested in becoming physician assistants, and for good reason. In 2010, their median pay was more than $86,000, and the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the field is growing quickly, with a predicted 30-percent growth in the number of available jobs between 2010 and 2020. This growth is likely due to the increasing specialization of physicians, which can leave physician assistants to attend to more generalized concerns. Plus, the aging baby boomer generation is going to cause employment growth in many areas of the medical field.

Possible Drawbacks

With such exciting prospects come a few possible drawbacks for prospective physician assistants. For example, while most work weeks of 40 to 50 hours long, a sizeable minority work for more than 50 hours a week. For physician assistants in hospitals, many of these hours are scheduled during nights, weekends and holidays. These assistants may also be on call and have to be ready to work at a moment’s notice.

With all of this information in mind, people can begin to appreciate all the work physician assistants do, and how they are valuable assets to the country’s health care network.