There are many occupations in the medical field that can go in many various directions. Have you ever wondered how the occupations are all similar, besides the fact that it is the medical field? Vorvick and Zieve say “more women than men have found an interest in the medical field for physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Fifty-eight is the average percent of women PA’s in the medical field.” The two occupations: physician assistant and nurse practitioner are similar with the education needed, the specialties, and the work environment.
Physician Assistant
A Physician Assistant (PA) practices medicine with a national and state license. They are authorized to prescribe medicine in all the fifty states (What is a PA? para. 1). Physician Assistants’ responsibilities vary on the state laws, the practice setting, and their experience. They can perform procedures, get medical histories, conduct physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, prescribe medications, order and interpret laboratory tests, and assist in surgeries and counseling (What is a PA? para. 3) PA’s can care for about eighty percent of patient conditions (Vorvick & Zieve para. 2).
PA programs are based on the medical curriculum and clinical achievements. The programs are very competitive to get accepted into (What is a PA? para. 4). By your freshman year, you need to find and apply to PA programs you are interested in. Before you start the PA program you need to have some experience. Most programs require you to have clinical experience before starting the program (Kimberly para. 5). You can get clinical experience at physician or doctor offices, ambulatory clinics, or acute and long term facilities. Clinical experience includes family and internal medicin...
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...om for more stressful and fast paced or a doctor’s office that is calmer and not so stressful. I have always had an interest for surgery, but haven’t like how schooling is involved. Now, I won’t have a lot of schooling to go through and can still be able to assist in the surgeries.
Works Cited
ExploreHealthCareers.org. (2014, April 25). Nurse Practitioner
Health Careers. (2012, January 1). Health Careers.
Kimberly, M. (2014, February 20). 5 Tips for Getting into PA School - PAs Connect. PAs Connect.
Mayo School of Health Sciences. (2014, January 20). Nurse Practitioner
Nurse practitioner (NP): MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (2014, February 26). U.S National Library of Medicine.
Vorvick, L. J., & Zieve, D. (2011, August 12). Physician Assistant profession (PA): MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. U.S National Library of Medicine
What is a PA?. (2013). AAPA.
Physician assistants (PA's) practice medicine under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. PA's are trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services, as delegated by a physician. They work with members of a healthcare team, they take medical histories, examine and treat patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and x rays, and make diagnoses. PAs may be the principal care providers in rural or inner city clinics where a physician is present for only one or two days each week. In such cases, the PA confers with the supervising physician and other medical professionals as
Depending on your state’s laws and/or regulations, medical assistants are typically allowed to perform the following clinical services under the supervision of a physician or other healthcare provider, like a physician assistant (PA) or nurse practitioner (NP):
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
According to nursejournal.org, The Educational Requirements to become a Nurse practitioner is that you must have a master of science in nursing which will take around three years to complete this course, which will include core courses in pathophysiology, health assessment, and advanced pharmacology. According to www.nursepractitionerschools.com To be a Nurse Practitioner you also have to complete a few courses in Doctor of Nursing Practice. Some programs often include advanced courses in leadership, population health, and typically culminate in a final capstone project. According to www.nursepractitionerschools.com, 3 schools that would have these programs are:
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
To me, being a physician assistant means having the knowledge and tools to help those that may not have otherwise receive care. Obtaining a master’s degree in public health while studying to become a physician assistant will provide me with the knowledge and expertise to evaluate how environment can affect a population's well-being. Completing the dual degree allows a better understanding of how the community is affected—not just the individual. By becoming a physician assistant with a strong background in public health, I will be able effect change and be at the forefront of health decisions in a community.
Healthcare has become a popular choice for many individuals as a career choice due to the demand. Have you ever thought about a career in healthcare? If so, what interest you more helping people or the pay? Due to the wide range of careers offered in healthcare, proper research should be conducted. Sadly enough, most people when considering a career in healthcare don't take the time to do the proper research to discover which career would fit or benefit them the most. In fact, if the proper research is done individuals may discover there are multitudes of healthcare jobs out there to be discovered. Among the list done in a US New article, registered nurses and physical therapy are listed as one of the 10 best jobs in the United States (Graves, 2012). So, what are the differences in these two promising careers; how much education is required, what are the average cost, job outlooks and overall benefits and what exactly does each of these healthcare professionals do.
Oddly enough, I liked giving obese, old patients bed baths, helping them to the bathroom, and cleaning their bed pans. But, don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t exactly what I loved doing, but I knew it was part of the job, and I willingly did the dirty work. By the end of my junior year, I knew I loved the hospital environment and wanted to eventually work there; however, I just didn’t know in what capacity. Fortunately, during a slow day in my last semester of shadowing, a nurse asked me if I would like to see a surgery being performed. I quickly accepted the offer, and I got to watch a surgeon perform an eye lift procedure. This experience, one of the most interesting I had ever witnessed, made me realize the area of the hospital that interested me most, the operating room. More specifically, I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. The path to become an orthopedic surgeon is not a quick nor easy one. To become an orthopedic surgeon, one must first be accepted into medical school, graduate medical school, and then complete post medical school requirements such as residency and
On the clinical side, medical assistants often are the people who take medical histories, prepare patients for examination, assist the doctor during appointments and perform basic laboratory tests, along with other clinical responsibilities.
Certified Nursing Assistants "perform delegated nursing task under the supervision of a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or registered nurse (RN)" (Sorrentuino & Remmert, 2012). Nursing assistants are trained and certified to "provide basic quality of life care" (Botonakis, 2012) which includes assisting patients and residents with activities of daily living(ADL) such as; feeding, grooming, hygiene, housekeeping task, toileting; transporting patients and assisting with mobility. The responsibilities of nursing assistant vary based on state regulations, employment setting and the employer's individual policy and patients' individual needs (NCDHHS, 2013).
Why would anyone be in the healthcare field? First, there are different types of positions available. Second, this is a very rewarding career for those who enjoy caring for others. Although, most people think there are a lot of differences between certified nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses, they share the same type of work, working conditions and job outlook.
The general purpose of being a medical assistant is that you are helping people that are in need of help. They also perform routine/ clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians and other practitioners running smoothly. Scheduling appointments for patients, billing, coding, etc. In this job you perform administrative and certain clinical duties under direction of a physician. Some tools/ skills that will be used daily is tools; hypodermic needle, blood pressure units, scope sets; skills; speaking, active listening, reading comprehension, monitoring, writing, active learning etc. Tasks and activities that will be performed
I have chosen Public Health as my career path because I have a passion for making a difference in people’s lives and helping others achieve their goals. Also, I chose healthcare as a career because health does not only focus on the physical aspects of wellness, but it applies to all areas of wellness, such as, intellectual, social, spiritual, financial, occupational, environmental and emotional wellness. Moreover, Public Health is a challenging, diverse and dynamic field. My philosophy of health is very simple, to prevent, improve and educate the lives of individuals, families, communities and the population. Besides, there is no safer way to touch people’s lives than through public
...ld. Women are most often stereotyped as only being nurses or other lower-end health professionals. There is a huge difference between the percent of males and the percent of females when it comes to more advanced medical fields. A study conducted by Reed and Fischer found that women are not promoted at the same rate as men in medical fields. They feel that women are under-represented in higher medical positions. The CEJA found that there is a large difference in salaries between men and women. Studies show that the average female physician earns 34 percent less than her male counterpart. Female physicians are more likely to earn a relatively low income and are less likely to gain a relatively higher income. For example, while 19 percent of female physicians earned less than $60,000, only 7 percent of male physicians earned less than that same amount (CEJA, 1994).