Physician’s Assistants care for people of all ages in virtually all specialty and primary care areas, diagnosing and treating common illnesses and working minor procedures. Typically, their specific duties vary depending on their supervising physician and state law, but they provide many of the same services as a primary care physician (PCP).
A PA pursues general medical training, enabling them to provide a wide spectrum of patient care and treat them “as a whole.” Read more about specific procedures here. However, throughout their career, PAs have the opportunity to pursue one or multiple specialties. Some common areas include anesthesia, cardiology, dermatology, and family medicine. However, specializing in something specific requires additional requirements, such as a fellowship or residency. (obviously)
Because of the wide variety of general medicine PAs have, they see patients of all ages in all primary care areas. They could address something as minor as discharging a patient to something as major as helping a surgeon during a procedure, however, the more major jobs often require additional education and specialized training.
Pathway to Become:
To become a PA in the US, you first need an undergraduate degree, then you must obtain a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis on science, and complete an accredited PA program (ARC-PA). These programs focus on both classroom and clinical rotation education, resulting in a master’s degree in PA studies. Now, you are eligible to take a certification exam (PANCE) and become a certified PA if passed. This process can take 4-8 years depending on the program, including your undergraduate.
Many find a hard time pursuing a career within the medical field that is on-call frequently or doesn’t have a good work-life balance. Unfortunately, PAs deal with similar workloads in many settings, however working in a clinic or a private practice can provide a more 9-5, flexible schedule. Additionally, compared to MDs, they have less on-call time and fewer responsibilities making the workload lighter than frequently expected. So, depending on where you work could provide a more solid answer, but pursuing a PA has the possibility of flexible work hours. It often depends on the day, your patient’s needs, and where you are practicing.
Furthermore, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for PAs is projected to grow by 27% between 2022 and 2032. So, this would be a great job to pursue because the demand for them is so high.
Personal Take:
Being a PA is appetizing, in my opinion, because you can still pursue different specialties without abundant extra years of schooling and receive a good proportion of work-life balance with a more predictable schedule. Additionally, you are still connecting with patients every day, receiving the most rewarding part of the job.
Resources I used and where you can learn more:
https://college.mayo.edu/academics/explore-health-care-careers/careers-a-z/physician-assistant
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-a-physician-assistant
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physician-assistants.htm
https://www.bartonassociates.com/blog/what-can-a-physician-assistant-pa-do