Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions someone can make. For some people, healthcare is the way to go, and that is where physicians assisting comes in. Physicians assisting is a demanding job requiring an immense amount of knowledge and training, but is also very rewarding. There are many specialties of assisting, but the specialty focused on in this paper will be orthopedics.
On a basic level, physicians assistants (or PA’s) are required to work under a surgeon or physician and cannot practice on their own. There are PA positions in all areas of medicine, including orthopedics. The median wage for all PA’s in 2017 as stated by The Bureau of Labor Statistics was $104,860 but that can vary depending on specialty, place of employment, and experience level. The PA profession is fairly new, but a quickly growing industry with a projected growth of 37% from 2016-2026, also presented by The Bureau of Labor Statistics. PA’s are often required to work holidays, weekends, and long hours. Also, being on call is common which means a PA could be called in on very short notice.
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Beginning in high school, taking courses in topics such as biology, chemistry, and anatomy can be beneficial for the future. Following high school is four years of college, and for PA’s there is no required major. However, biochemistry, chemistry, biology, microbiology, anatomy, or physiology would be a good idea to major in because it would be helpful in preparing for PA school. There are many institutions that offer physician assistant programs, and these last from two to three years. PA programs get students ready for getting a job as a PA. The programs also include rounds of clinical rotations and typically require previous medical experience, such as being an EMT, paramedic, CNA, RN, lab assistant, or surgical
These programs are usually available at the master's level and often require applicants to have bachelor's degrees and some amount of experience in the healthcare profession to gain admission. Many physician assistants serve as emergency medical technicians, nurses or paramedics before pursuing admission to physician assistant programs. Physician assistant programs generally take 26 months of full-time study to complete. During the first year, students focus on classroom instruction in medical science and clinical preparation. Courses may include pathology, pediatrics, diagnosis, surgical technique, emergency medicine, pharmacology and research methods. Afterward, the curriculum shifts to focus mostly on clinical rotations in various disciplines, such as general surgery, gynecology and behavioral medicine. During these rotations, students gain first-hand experience in patient care under the supervision of licensed physicians. Physician assistants are required to be licensed by the state in which they practice. Along with completion of an accredited training program, the licensing process entails passage of the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, evaluates fundamental medical and surgical comprehension (www.nccpa.net). PA’s who pass the PANCE may use the Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C) designation. Physician assistants must earn 100 continuing education credits every two years. They are also required to pass the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam every six
As for how medical assistants can interact with patient data, it’s recommended that you consult the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for their “meaningful use” requirements. In October 2012, CMS issued a guidance regarding eligible professionals under the meaningful use incentive program. This guidance includes the following statement with regard to medical assistants being allowed to enter data:
Ranked third by U.S. News and World Report on the list of “Best Health Care Jobs of 2017”, the Physician Assistant career has a 96 percent job-satisfaction rate, and represents one of the fastest growing jobs in the nation. Created as a position to relieve the job shortage of primary care physicians, Physician Assistants first came to be in the mid-1960s. Since then, the number of PAs in practice has just about doubled with every decade helping to improve health care not just nationally, but on a global level as well. Physician Assistants are licensed to practice medicine, prescribe medication, treat chronic illnesses, and assist in surgery in all 50 states under supervision of a physician. Although some medical practitioners perceive the role
Moreover, as a physician assistant, my duties and responsibilities would include various tasks. I would examine patients and review patients’ medical history. I would perform diagnostic tests and diagnose a patient’s injury. I would provide treatment and console patients’ on the proper treatment. Lastly, I would assess
I am interested in pursuing the Physician Assistant (PA) degree because of my experiences both within the medical field and as a patient. These experiences have led me to believe that a team approach to patient-centered medicine provides the best and most comprehensive care possible. Further, the PA profession offers me the opportunity to continue my lifelong passion of helping others, giving back to my community, and provides me with further opportunities to teach.
At Seton Hill, I will be a student of the 5-year physician assistant program. From visiting campus and interviewing with the PA program staff, I am confident that Seton Hill will shape me into a competent and compassionate medical professional. Furthermore, I am confident that my fellow students and I will have an opportunity to make a difference in the community. A main pillar of the physician assistant career is catering the underserved populations. With a simple internet search, anyone can deduce
A Certified Nursing Assistant has a very demanding job. It drains a person's physical strength by lifting residents but, it can drain the worker of emotions as well because of the loss, pain, and abandonment surrounding many residents. I am a Certified Nursing Assistant and I believe the hardest part of my job is getting attached to a resident as they pass away. The death of a resident leaves preparing their body the Certified Nursing Assistant's responsibility so their families can say goodbye and the funeral director can take them to the funeral home. The whole process takes a minuscule amount of time, thirty minutes or less, once someone knows the process. However, the body needs respect and care even after death.Preparing a body is emotional for the worker and the family. Start by gathering the supplies to prepare the body. First,
I believe that people everywhere should always have access to adequate medical care. Where you live should not determine whether you live, and the PA profession was created to improve the availability of healthcare in rural and other underserved areas. As a PA, I would be eager to help people have not had access to the care they needed. I want to serve those that need medical attention but don’t have the means to obtain it—whether in rural Michigan, the inner-city of Atlanta, or the backwoods of Arkansas. Making great medical care accessible to all is crucial to improving public health, and it is a necessity across this country and the world. As a physician assistant,
The medical field is among the largest and ever growing career fields, especially when dealing with Physician Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs). In the 1960’s when the physician shortage began, the medical field created the PA and NP positions to fill in the gaps (Curren, 2007, p. 404). This matter has opened up numerous questions as more and more PAs and NPs begin practicing, especially concerning their education level. Many patients are concerned that they will not get the proper care. PAs/NPs are beneficial to everyday life by providing patients with the necessary skills needed to successfully treat them.
The median salary of 2013 is $31,890("Medical Office Administrator: Job Description, Duties and Requirements." par. 4 and chart). Work is available in doctors’ offices, hospitals, laboratories, and health departments. You need to understand medical terminology and basic healthcare procedures. A medical assistant will also be responsible for managing information, medical and office purchases, and in some cases project management (par. 1). Your basic duties include answering phones, scheduling appointments, and organizing medical records. Processing insurance forms, preparing reports, scheduling of hospitalization or other procedures are important duties. Being able to do bookkeeping tasks- billing patients, preparing financial reports, processing software etc. - and being able to work with basic office machinery such as fax machines, credit card machines, and dictation equipment (par.
My educational experiences sparked my first consideration of a career in physician assistant and encouraged me to further explore this interest. At the same time, I started giving community services to healthcare. My first opportunity to personally interact with the patient was in the emergency department as a volunteer at Dekalb Medical Center. The first day I stepped onto the floor, my
I know that by doing my job, no matter how different each patient may be, that I have made a difference in someone’s life. I am very content in my job knowing that there is an increasing need in healthcare. With the demand of healthcare today, there will always be a demand for physicians, and with the need of physicians there will always be a need for medical assistants. In this profession the rewards and opportunities will only continue to grow, and there is not a better place to than here in America, because like Ralph Waldo Emerson (journalist, poet, philosopher, and essayist) once said, “America is another name for
Physician Assistant is a career choice that entails various specialties and flexibilities that attracts many. Those who desires a path to practice medicine as soon as possible, PA 's lateral mobility allows that to happen. Compared to medical school, PA school requires less time and amount less debt. As the population grows and chronic diseases spreads, The future projection of PA is growing faster than the average careers.
The steps of education to become a medical assistant is obtaining a Post-secondary degree (offers social/ economic benefits), Associate’s degree (course of study usually 2 years community college, junior college, technical college), and High school diploma (graduation of high school). To attend this job (medical assisting) it takes 2 years at the most. The main degree for this job that is needed is an Associate’s degree. Training starts when you apply for the job and you get called in for training to prepare you for the experience before you actually start the
The flexibility of Physician’s Assistants is very appealing. The ability to be able to change practices if situations arose in which I needed different hours, needed to move, or simply wanted a change from the patients and conditions being seen is another factor in the decision to apply to PA school. Growing up, my step father worked in construction, and would be gone for several periods at a time. I watched as my mother was lonely during that time because she did not have a job in which she could move with my step father. Sometimes that period was years at time with visits only on the weekends or every three weeks.