Physician Assistant Prerequisites – What Does It Take To Secure A Job?
: February 22nd, 2012
: SKadmin Physicians have heavy workloads and are always in need of assistants to help them balance all of their patients, which is why physician assistants are in so demand and enjoy a high rate of job security. Most physician assistants also enjoy rewarding salaries and benefits packages, but they do not have to immerse themselves in years of higher education like physicians do. Yet, this is not the easiest career field to enter as there are some prerequisites which must be met.
In order to work in the field, you must pass physician assistant prerequisites set by the state in which you want to work. In almost all cases, you will be expected to complete your bachelor’s degree in a related medical field, and then go into a training program that will prepare you to pass the national certification exam. The exam you ultimate pass is called the PANCE, which stands for Physician Assistant National Certification Exam. Your training program will prepare you to pass the exam when all of your educational prerequisites have been met.
In order to be admitted to a training program, you will need your associate’s or bachelor’s degree or even some advanced postgraduate training. In many cases, those entering the training program have some working experience as well. You can gain working experience by working with doctors as an intern or other positions while you are in school. This experience can qualify them for training programs and postgraduate programs later in their educational journey.
Training courses are designed to prepare you for the national examination and any state prerequisites that may be demanded before you can apply for active employment. Some very competitive programs may even expect you to provide references from professionals in the medical field to gain admittance. If you have gained some working experience, securing these references will be much easier.
In most states, you will be expected to continue your education or meet other requirements in order to maintain your license from one year to the next. Some states require a certain number of credit hours to be achieved every couple of years, but the specific requirements for maintaining a license can vary. You will learn what applies to your state when you enter an official physician assistant training program.
It should be noted that working toward a career as a physician assistant is different from pursuing a career as a nurse’s assistant. The training that a physician assistant must undergo is considerably more complex than what a nurse’s assistant must go through.
A physician assistant works among other physicians, and is able to prescribe medications and give medical advice much like a doctor. They can even take daily appointments and have their own patient base in a doctor’s office, as long as they are practicing among physicians for support. They contain quite a bit more independence and responsibility than a nurse’s assistant would ever obtain. Physican assistants must go through a lot more training and education than nurse’s assistants, and for good reason.
A career as a physician assistant always starts with undergraduate coursework. You must check with your preferred physician assistant training program to see what undergraduate degree you need and what other prerequisites are required for admission, so you can eventually pass that national exam. Once all of these prerequisites have been met, a future physician assistant will go through the national examination process and register with the state in which they wish to practice.
These physician assistant prerequisites can be very difficult to pass, even though many people see this as an easier way to start a medical career. Most physician assistants have gone through considerable amounts of advanced postgraduate education, so you cannot take their qualifications lightly.
