Physician Assistant Career
Physician Assistant Job Description
The job description of a physician assistant says that he acts like a support-personnel for physicians, and lightens up medical professionals’ routine activities, thereby, helping them devote greater time for expert health care needs of the patients and giving them quality medical care facilities. An assistant is not a qualified physician, but can carry out various functions of a doctor.
They help the physicians by noting down the patient’s medical history, examining and also providing basic therapies to the patients; they also assess radiological and laboratory reports and are taught to manage injuries. Physician assistants are also permitted to prescribe drugs.
The assistant works under the administration of doctors and are engaged in various health care settings.
Physician Assistant Education, Certification and Training
• To gain admission in to a training program for physician assistants, you need to complete 2 years in college, with adequate experience in health care service-delivery. Students having a bachelors or masters degree must also submit an application for this coursework.
• Most medical schools, and colleges, provide a course that comprises of a blend of class room education and clinical management / hands-on practice. The duration of the program is 2 years.
• Most States mandate the requirement for a certification for the candidate. Some States ask for a registration of the physician assistants with the Medical Board of the State.
• If you want, you could also opt for specialization, and become an expert in a particular health care domain of medicine.
Physician Assistant Jobs
Physician assistant’s jobs are expected to increase faster than average as compared to most other vocations. It is a quickly growing occupation, due to advances in the field of health care.
Various health care facilities and organizations employ physician assistants to make available primary care to the patient, and also take part in simple surgical procedures.
Employment opportunities are comparatively high in rural and town clinics, where it is hard to draw qualified doctors. A physician assistant works at hospitals, health care centers, public clinics, nursing homes, prisons, academic centers and primary care units.
Physician Assistant Salary
The physician assistant’s salary, on an average is approximately $69,410 per annum. The earnings of a physician’s assistant are largely dependent on his employer, education and qualifications, location and experience.
