Physician Assistant Degree – How to acquire it?
Physician assistant degree programs are available in both physician assistant schools and in online sites. The lowest that can qualify you to apply for a certification is a bachelor’s degree but it is highly advised to get at least a master’s degree before pursuing a career as physician assistant.
Usually, an aspiring physician assistant will go through a two year undergraduate course that will include advance subjects on social sciences, math, English and health sciences. Should you be content with a bachelor’s degree, you only have 2 years more to go in your education. After that you are qualified to take the certification exam. However, if you want to gain better value, then you can go for a master’s degree right after you finish your bachelor’s degree. This physician assistant degree will give you more edge when you start applying for jobs.
Statistics show that the demand for physician assistants will increase by more than 30% by 2018. As medical facilities and hospital are forced to cut on costs, physician assistants are hired in placed of licensed physicians. As long that they are supervised by a licensed physician, several PAs can work legitimately. The compensation of $40 per hour as a national average is attractive so newcomers find this career quite lucrative.
This is a step up for registered nurses and medical laboratory workers so a lot of them are choosing to enter into a physician assistant degree to better their chances of career growth. Most of them are easily accepted in physician assistant schools because they are able to comply with the required number of period for health care practice. But even if you do not have this type of work experience, you can still apply for a degree. There are good schools that will allow you to enter their program without work experience so you can still get your physician assistant degree.
It is also important for you to check if the program you will apply to is properly accredited ARC-PA.
It also usually helps to select a specialization so you can choose the right program that you will take. For instance, there is a program that will lead you into a specialization in general surgery. If this is the career path of your choice, you need to select the right physician assistant degree that will equip you for this. You can opt for a general course and it will still lead you to enter into any field that you wish to practice in.
Physician assistant degree can define the compensation that you will receive. The higher the value of the degree that you get, the better hourly rate you can qualify for. Since the competition is stiff when you start to go job hunting, you need to be able to show an edge against your peers. Some physician assistants can earn up to $115,000 a year. It should be a plus if you get your education from a reputable school that is known to provide the best PAs in the country. That should be one of the things that you should research on when you select a physician assistant school.