How to Become a Physician Assistant

What to Study When Entering the Allied Health Services as a PA

Nov 1, 2008 Carla Marie Boulianne

Physician assistants hold integral positions in the provision of acute patient care services. How can you prepare for application to a physician assistant program?

A physician assistant (PA) practices medicine under the supervision of a licensed medical doctor (MD). Physician assistants are responsible for direct patient care including the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions, as well as the prescription of medications. Most physician assistants work in acute primary care settings, fast-track departments of emergency rooms, and internal medicine practices. Some physician assistants specialize in pediatrics, surgery, or geriatric care.

Although supervised, physician assistants must practice medicine with a high degree of independence, often working without the presence of an attending physician and only consulting on complex cases. The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) states that two-year training programs follow the same medical methodology as physicians and consist of similarly intensive courses. Physician assistants do not complete an internship or residency after graduating, but must pass a national exam for state licensure.

What to Study to Become a Physician Assistant – Undergraduate Choices

Complete an undergraduate major in a hard science. Although some students enter bachelor-granting physician assistant training programs after only two years of college, most program candidates already have a bachelor’s degree. Your undergraduate program should track those of prospective nursing and pre-medicine students with coursework in Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy, and Psychology.

Investigate the admissions requirements of the physician assistant training programs you hope to attend. Ensure your undergraduate coursework meets all minimum provisions.

Gain clinical experience either through an undergraduate internship, mentorship, or as a volunteer. Physician assistant training programs show strong preference for candidates with multiple years of clinical exposure. Many candidates have three to four years of prior nursing or other clinical experience.

Apply to several ARC-PA accredited physician assistant programs through the centralized online application process called CASPA (Central Application Service for Physician Assistants).

What to Study to Become a Physician’s Assistant –The Physician Assistant Program

Expect to take first-year coursework with medical students. Physician assistant training programs cover biochemistry, human physiology, anatomy, and pathology. Topics include medical ethics, performing examinations, making diagnoses, and clinical technical skills such as venipuncture and ascultation.

Prepare for practical clinical training during the second year of physician assistant training. This will be a year of intense work during various clinical rotations in internal medicine, psychiatry, and other specialties. Summer internships during the end of formal education as a physician assistant often lead to initial job offers.

Training culminates in receipt of a physician assistant degree in the form of a bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, or certificate of completion. Licensing requirements vary by state but all jurisdictions require successful completion of the NCCPA PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certification Exam). Some states allow interim practice while awaiting PANCE results.

Gaining the Clinical Experience Required to Become a Physician Assistant

Gain vital clinical experience working as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) if your eventual goal is employment in an emergency department. Also consider working as a medical assistant in an office practice within your desired area of specialization. Some physician assistant programs give precedence to applicants with two or more years of paid clinical experience; volunteer work in a clinical setting may not factor into admissions as favorably as employment.

The copyright of the article How to Become a Physician Assistant in Career Advice is owned by Carla Marie Boulianne. Permission to republish How to Become a Physician Assistant in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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