With the healthcare industry witnessing a boom, physician assistants are high in demand. Here is a guide to the Physician Assistants career which is growing in demand in both rural and urban areas.
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. After their initial certification, a Physician Assistant must complete 100 hours of continuing education credits every two years along with the successful completion of a recertification exam every six years to retain their certification to practice.
The AAPA (American Association of Physician Assistants) and the NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants) are the two professional bodies in the field. The former regulates the field, while the latter administers and tracks certifications and continuing education credits.
In a doctor’s office, the role of a Physician Assistant plays an important part. They are supervised by a licensed doctor, but also allowed to work independently inside the doctor’s office. They must be within 1 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. Excellent communications skills are one of the most important abilities that a Physician Assistant must have because they will be interacting 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. Surgical team assistants are among the busiest of all assistants. This job requires the ability to handle large amounts of stress, working late, nights, weekends, and holidays and as such, is not easy. 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.
Different American states prescribe the tasks that a Physician assistant can perform. In order to know the exact job responsibilities for that state, you will want to refer to that state’s employment website.
Physician Assistants jobs are expected to grow at a rapid clip as compared to other jobs. Physician Assistants’ demand is especially higher in hospitals, clinics, prisons and other facilities situated in rural and inner city areas. The growth in demand for physician assistant jobs is expected to rise by 39% from 2008 to 2018 according to a government report published in 2008. The simultaneous evolution and cost lowering that is happening in the healthcare industry is the cause of the increased demand. On of the ways that the healthcare industry is maintaining the quality of service and productivity is by appointing Physician Assistants. These factors, when combined with each state allowing physician assistants the ability to perform more medical procedures, combine and attribute to the increase in demand for these professionals.
The following are the factors that determine the salary for a Physician Assistant :
Specialization: Choosing to specialize in complicated medical conditions like HIV, AIDS, or cancer will often lead a Physician Assistant to a higher salary than one who can handle normal medical conditions. Physical Assistants that have specialized in a certain condition or field often have a salary that exceeds the maximum figure (given below) and are in high demand.
Area: Often it is found that the pay for healthcare professionals is lower in rural areas than it is in urban centers. Urban centers in densely populated areas pay more than urban centers in thinly populated areas. So, one factor that determines salaries is the cost of living, which is higher in the urban areas.
Experience counts 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. Remember, the pay at urban centers will often be higher than the pay that is offered in rural areas.
Physician Assistants can also expect their employers to pay for their state licensing fees, registration fees, credential fees and professional liability insurance.
Critical medical specializations for conditions like HIV/AIDS, neonatology, cancer, and many others are all options for a Physician Assistant. As mentioned above, professionals who specialize in such critical medical conditions are paid a much higher salary. Many schools offer specialization programs in specialties like surgery, cancer, HIV, neonatology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and more.
Postgraduate residency training programs can be taken by a Physician Assistant in areas like emergency medicine, rural primary care, occupational medicine, etc.
Like most careers, the pay increases come in time and with more experience. However, the assistant must always remain under the supervision of a licensed doctor.
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. They also are rewarded with a self-satisfying career that helps people recover from medical conditions, many of which can be major.
Every day is different in the life of a PA and he comes across new challenges daily. However, it is impossible for a Physician Assistant to become an entrepreneur because they are still required to be supervised by a licensed doctor.
Now you know what it takes and what to expect from a job as a Physician Assistant.
As you can see, physician assistant jobs are on the rise. For more information, please check out: Physician Assistant Salary