Physician Assistant Essay

Medical Assistants have a variety of duties to perform. The duties can be categorized in administrative or clinical duties.

“Dedicated to enhancing professional and personal growth for allied health professionals, American Medical Technologists (AMT) awards the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential to qualifying individuals.

The most common setting for Physician Assistants is in the ER. A PA usually works 4 days a week. During those 4 days they typically work 12 hour shifts. Most of their shift they spend on their feet. An Emergency Room Physician Assistant very rarely gets free time to sit down.

A physician assistant may be one of the best careers out there currently, well at least that’s what US NEWS has recently claimed. The job security is very high. The demand for PAs are projected to grow just 30% from the year 2014 to 2024. Although you may not be labeled as an actual physician with a doctorate degree, a physician assistant gets many of the same benefits and gets to do most things that an actually doctor does. The only catch is that a physician assistant works under the supervision of a doctor.

Physician assistants play a pivotal role in the healthcare industry. This profession emerged in the 1960’s as a response to the shortage of doctors entering the workforce (Hamilton, 2016). Physician assistants can do many things with the training that they receive during their schooling such as providing diagnostic evaluations, therapeutic remediation, surgical assistance, and pharmaceutical prescription ("Physician Assistant Career Information and Job Description"). Depending on their work experience, specialty, and the state that they practice in they may have different responsibilities. Some duties of a P.A. are to: order and interpret tests, take patients medical history, counsel patients on preventive care, conduct physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, write prescriptions, and assist in surgeries.

A JOURNEY TO PROVIDE CARE When in the emergency room, many will groan because a "real doctor" is not taking care of them. However, the physician’s assistant’s (PA) job in the emergency room is to assist in taking a load off of the doctor so that the doctors can focus on the extremely critical patients. There are a number of fields that one can work in as a PA. Because of the variety of job choices, studies have shown that a physician’s assistant is the second most wanted job in the United States of America. (cite) To become a physician's assistant one must be willing to endure schooling and trials, though the job is full of benefits.

The competiveness of the programs makes it necessary for me to get involved in different clubs and organizations both in and outside of school. Although the benefits of being a PA are high, it is not a perfect job. Often people mistake PA’s with medical assistants or feel like they are not qualified to treat them. But the good outweighs the bad. This career offers a great salary while requiring a short amount of schooling, similar duties as a physician while being able to switch specialties, and a more flexible schedule than a physician. There are many obstacles I will face, from citizenship issues to financial struggles but I will overcome them. Like anything else however, it is good to have a plan B and plan C. Whatever career I end up in, I will make sure it is something I am passionate about and enjoy

Anything worth having will not come without its share of challenges. No career path is going to be greener on the other side. Challenges that are brought about in any career is easier to endure if it is something that one is passionate about doing. In the health care field there are several challenges that healthcare workers must face. The role of the Physician Assistant also known as PA holds great responsibility and has challenges; some of which only a Physician Assistant would face. One challenge that is specific to Physician Assistants is the question of competency by the patient. Another is dealing with the feeling of not being properly compensated. Last but not least Physician Assistance endure working long and odd hours. However when one enjoys that chosen career, they will find a solutions to every obstacle or challenge that stands in their way.

There’s a great amount of schooling when trying to pursue a career as a physician assistant. Most physician assistant programs require a bachelor’s degree and some kind of healthcare work experience. Also, most programs recommend having two to four years of undergraduate school focusing on science. Statistics show that most physician assistant’s work their way up to a Master’s Degree. More than fifty percent of the physician assistants in the United States have their Master’s Degree (myfuture.com). Even though there is a lot of schooling that comes with trying to obtain this career, in the long run there are greater advantages that come out of this. One of the advantages is the average salary a physician assistant. The average physician assistant makes roughly $99,270 a year. However, in Mississippi, the average salary is $51,040 (Occupational Outlook Handbook). The amount of the salary is based off of where a person lives and how much work experience he or she has. For example, a physician assistant out in Texas will make more than a one here in Mississippi will make more because Texas is a bigger state therefore more physician assistants are required. Also, if there are two physician assistants and one is fresh out of college and the other has been working in the health care for ten years, the one with the most experience will more than likely make more. After I researched the average salary,

The average length of a Physician Assistant graduate program is only 27 months (ExploreHealthCareers.org). PAs has the flexibility to change in different specialties and move into different areas of medicine. The most common reason PAs switch specialties is to work in a higher paying specialty. When PAs change specialties it is often assumed that they are changing from a primary care specialties to a non-primary care. This isn’t necessarily true.

Physician Assistants are also known as a PA’s; they practice medicine under the direction of physicians and surgeons. They formally trained to examine patients, diagnose injures and illness, and provide treatment. Physician Assistants also evaluate and treat patients under the supervision of doctors and surgeons. A Physician Assistants is a graduate of an accredited Physician Assistant educational program who is nationally certified and state- licensed to practice medicine with the supervision of a physician. Core tasks of a Physician Assistant are they take medical histories and examine patients. They Interpret lab test and make diagnoses, Treat minor injuries with stitches, splints, casts, and prescribes certain medications, The

They devote a lot of time filling out medical records. In addition, medical assistants schedule appointments for thousands of clients each day. Medical assistants are masters at multitasking.

The job outlook for a medical assistant is that employment for medical assistants is projected to increase 31% by 2020. The baby-boom, the increase of people getting sick, the major medical problems that people are developing there is going to be more clinics opening, group practices, etc. The result is that more medical assistants are going to be needed (http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm#tab-6).

A medical assistant is important to the physicians and nursing staff. Doctors and nursing staff have to be able to concentrate on the medical problems and concerns of their patients. These assistants keep the physicians on schedule, the healthcare facility on course, the workflow smooth and running, the patients informed, and the customers comfortable and safe. Basically, they keep the medical office together. Physicians and surgeons have their own long list of chores and responsibilities to maintain. They just do not have enough time to handle all of the chores that are given to the medical assistants. Without them, things would be really chaotic and frustrating. Physicians as well as nurses would have way too much on their plate to manage.

medical assistant is one of the fastest races in the health area. physicians assistants are medical professionals who work directly in conjunction with doctors. helping doctors with patients. making them medical appointments, filling the records of patients, answering the phone among many others.the medical assistant program has two options: a certificate or diploma in as little as 9-12 months, or an associate’s degree in 18-24 months.to be a medical assistant there is a set of things you should do before getting a certificate.