Nursing versus Physician’s Assistant
College is quickly approaching, so it is time I finalize what I want to do with my future. I have always wanted to be a nurse, but being a physician’s assistant has recently caught my eye. For the past year or so, I have been torn between the two because although they are both in the medical field, they come with many differences. Nurses and physician assistants take time out of their day to put other people’s lives above theirs and have fairly similar hours, but the process it takes to get there, the pay, the daily duties, and the average day are all significantly different. Even though both are different in the more technical aspects of things, they both have equally important roles in the medical field.
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The process of becoming a nurse starts with getting a Bachelor’s degree, a four-year degree, in a nursing school. Some hospitals accept an Associate’s degree or a diploma to become a staff nurse, although, it is very rare. Some people go as far as getting a Master’s Degree in nursing, which comes with a higher starting salary. After they get their education they take the National Council Licensure Examination in order to obtain a nursing license. After getting a nursing license, most hospitals require a residency, a period of time when nurses, often referred as student nurses during the residency, follow experienced nurses and get further education of the job and its duties. Becoming a physician’s assistant takes a lot more time and work than a nurse.
Usually, physician’s assistants start out with a bachelor’s degree or another job related experience. Gene Hall, a physician’s assistant at Mayo Hospital, said, “I started as a registered nurse and it made the process of becoming a physician’s assistant a lot easier.” Four years of undergraduate coursework are required and it takes about two more years of full-time study on top of that. Like nurses, they also have to complete a residency after obtaining their license. To get a physician’s assistant license, they must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination and continue to take and pass it every 10 years. Gene added, “The exam was by far the hardest test I have ever taken. You have to effectively study for many weeks because it is an important exam to pass.” Physician assistants also have to have one hundred hours of continuing education every two years. Gene commented, “It is a little intimidating to hear you have to continue your education throughout your life, but it is really beneficial to you and your …show more content…
patients.” Both of these jobs come with some relatively outrageous hours. Darcy Hall, a pediatric nurse at Mayo Hospital, jokingly said, “Sometimes my hours get to be so crazy in the week, I am not sure if its day or night.” Most nurses and physician assistants work full time, there are very few that work part time. Patients need twenty-four-hour care, so nurses and physician assistants usually work in a rotation of twelve-hour shifts. Physician assistants usually only have to stay for their twelve-hour shift, but often times nurses get stuck working extra hours. They are usually only scheduled for three days a week and then get four days off, but sometimes they may work more or less. They are also expected to work nights, weekends, and holidays. When they are not working, it is common for them both to be on call, which means they get to go home, but if there is an emergency they get a call and have to go back into work. Shockingly, nurses and physician assistants have relatively similar hours that they are expected to work. Even though they have similar hours, their average days are very different.
The daily tasks of a nurse are different every day, and sometimes they are very chaotic. Darcy said, “Every day is different, sometimes you feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off and other days you are bored with nothing to do.” A nurse’s most important job is to provide care for their patient and observe them throughout their stay at the hospital. They record the patients’ medical history and current symptoms and set up medical plans with consultation with a doctor. They are not able to prescribe medicine, but they can administer it. Nursing can take a huge physical toll on someone’s body, Darcy recalled, “I was nearing the last hour and a half of my shift. It had been one of my busiest shifts and I was struggling to keep up with the pace. I just wanted to go to bed. It seemed like every time I finished one job, I was getting three more thrown at me.” There is a lot of standing, walking, and lifting patients every day, along with close contact with patients and infectious
diseases. Like nurses, a physician’s assistant most important job is to provide care for the patients. Nurses get the initial stuff done, such as recording their symptoms, while physician assistants analyze the information. They examine the patients and order tests, for example, x-rays and blood tests, diagnose them, and provide necessary treatment. Unlike nurses, physician assistants are able to prescribe medication when needed. They record the patients progress while being supervised by doctors. They, too, spend most of their day walking, standing, and having close contact with the patients. Their very different days come with very different salaries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2016-17 Occupational Outlook Handbook, the average salary of a nurse is around $65,470, the starting salary, or lowest salary, is around $46,360, and the highest salary that nurses can earn reach is $101,630. Although, they can make a higher salary if they get a Master’s degree or some other form of higher education. There are also various bonuses and raises they can receive as their experience increases. Darcy opinionatedly stated, “Nurses do not get paid nearly enough for what we do.” Many other people agree that nurses deserve a higher pay for what they do. Physician assistants have a fairly higher salary, the U.S. Bureau of Statistics stated, the average is $98,180, the lowest is $62,760, and the highest can get up to $139,540. A physician assistant’s salary does not increase with experience. They only get small raises throughout their first five to ten years of working. Physician assistants get paid significantly more because they have a higher education, but many people in the medical field opinionatedly believe the salaries should be closer to each other because physician assistants only do the “easy” work, while the nurses do all of the hard, dirty work. Both nurses and physician assistants have extremely important roles in the medical field, but they are very different jobs. Gene and Darcy both made the comment, “You have to have extreme compassion for your job. You have to be able to deal with your patients everyday with kindness and understanding.” They have to be willing to put other people’s lives before their own, and neither one thinks twice about doing it. To pick between the two, it comes down to how much schooling you want to go through, how much the salary matters to you, and what kind of authority you want to have in your job. In the end, nursing and being a physician’s assistant are two very rewarding jobs and have a great impact on people’s lives.
The adage of the adage. Most states require you to have at least a master’s degree and a national certification before you can become an NP, while some states require NPs to work with a Medical Doctorate (MD) for practice before getting their NP. The state regulations for NP in Idaho require you to have your Registered Nurse (RN) license, completion of a Board approved program, a national certification, and to pass the qualifying exam (Nurse Practitioner para.2). Becoming a Physician Assistant is very similar to becoming a Nurse Practitioner. PAs have flexible hours and other physicians to ask for help when needed.
Nurses have a considerable amount of responsibility in any facility. They are responsible for administering medicines and treatments to there patient’s. While caring for there patients, nurses will make observations on patient’s health and then record there findings. As well as consulting with doctors and other healthcare professionals to plan proper individual patient care. They teach their patients how to manage their illnesses and explain to both the patient and the patients family how to continue treatment when returning home (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014-15). They also record p...
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
If you are a new student and are thinking about pursuing a career in the medical field, like me, you have a lot of options. You could become a Registered Nurse, a Physician, a Physician Assistant, a Dentist, an Audiologist, an Anesthesiologist or many other professions. In this article I am going to narrow it down for you between a Physician and a Physician Assistant and I am going to tell you why I would prefer being a Physician Assistant over the highly prestigious Physician career. Physician Assistant is a relatively new career and there are many misconceptions about what individuals with this title do in the medical field.
The physician assistant is a team player in the medical world, working daily with surgeons, physicians, therapists, and many other health care professionals. Similar to the job description of physicians, PAs see patients, take medical histories, preform physical exams, make diagnoses, order and interpret tests, and develop treatment plans (Ludwig). A physician assistant, nowadays, may even perform procedures that were once performed exclusively by physicians. Because every PA must have a supervising physician who oversees their work, it is assumed by many that PAs are “assistants to doctors”, however, that is not the case because a vast majority of PAs work independently. The extent of supervision by a physician varies depending on location and branch of medicine. Although, a physician assistant may carry out much of the same roles as a physician would, the amount of schooling required to become a PA is nearly half as many as that of a physician. Physician assistant programs nationwide require an undergraduate degree in one of many sciences, such as biology, and certain
After review of my skills, interests, and experiences, I decided to pursue the medical career field as my first career choice, more specifically as a physician assistant. I will exceed in this position in the interest of that I like to help people and I solve problems well. Also, I communicate well with others and I have a great amount of patience. There are various careers that fit my skills and interests, but this one grabs my attention. My dream job is to be a doctor, but this occupation allows one to save money by lessening the years of school required. Also, the pay isn’t too shabby either. I will be successful in this position due to my skills, characteristics, and values, like honesty and helping others. Up to this point, I have job shadowed at a medical billing company and I like the idea of diagnosing and helping people, but a desk job is not ideal. Also, I took a medical terminology as a class and I discovered that I like how the body works and what it does. These factors have all influenced my career goal.
Certified medical assistants most often come from a background that includes formal training through a number of accredited program, whether a one year certificate program or a two year associate’s degree programs. Training programs are available through a number of accredited online and campus based institutions. Regardless of the learning plan you choose, you will learn lab skills, medical terminology, clinical procedures, and medical office
The Healthcare Professional that I chose is a Dental Assistant. The reason why I chose to use a dental assistant as the Healthcare Professional was because I think that they are very important along with the dentists. Without dental assistants, dentist’s jobs would be more stressful than it already is in their job. Dental assistants greatly increase the efficiency of the dentist in the delivery of quality oral health care are valuable members of the dental care team.
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.
Many people rush through their daily life without contemplating their actions, thereby missing vast opportunities for achievement. They waste valuable time engaging in frivolous matters instead of putting their energies towards more productive and meaningful purposes. In the words of the Dalai Lama: “Life is not about acquiring money and other facilities; it is about dedicating your life to helping others as much as you can.” The immeasurable value of helping others has been engrained in me since childhood. As a result of my own difficult family circumstances, I have become more sensitive, kind and mindful towards others and their own situations. I have developed a passion for helping others, which, in combination with a proclivity towards medicine has lead to my descion to become a Physician Assistant. I want to live a life where I can provide healthcare and aid to anyone who needs.
I chose a career as a medical assistant because of the rewards I knew I would experience on a daily basis. Seeing a patient smile because I have helped them understand, or just making them feel comfortable with their visit, is just one of the many perks of my job. Upon graduating from an accredited college such as The College of Health Care Professions (CHCP), I now work for one of the most reputable hospitals in my area. Within two short years of committed studies, I obtained my associate of applied science degree, and then went on to obtain my certification as a medical assistant. There is nothing I have found more fulfilling, strong, secure, or rewarding then choosing to become a medical assistant,
All PA programs in the United States are accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant. Before the admission process to a PA school, the typical candidate usually hold a bachelor’s degree with around 45 months of experience in health care. The bachelor years is usually 4 years but there are acceleration programs that have a full 3 year time span. In order to be a competitive candidate for PA school, one should have their core science classes in good terms. Anything below a B does not look well and would bring their GPA down. Maintaining a competitive GPA of 3.5 or above is ideal, but there are other factors that can contribute greatly of getting accepted into PA school than just grades alone. Outside of school experience with communication is greatly encouraged due to the nature of the PA’s job where a great deal of interaction with patients is essential. PA school look at the balance between academic quality and extracurricular activities. After getting accepted into a PA school, the programs run approximately for 2-3 years. Its tuition can range between 30-40 thousands dollar per didactic year. There are many types of financial assistance available, however, to help fund those who have financial difficulties. Financial aid should be considered around the same time as applying to the PA program and the American
My decision to pursue a career as an Anesthesiology Assistant is hinged on three factors; first, a desire to advance in the healthcare sector and be able to take up higher responsibilities in patient care; secondly, an intentional process of building a healthcare career that would be personally fulfilling and rewarding; and thirdly, embarking on a career path that will enable me to integrate my prior education, experiences and skills, and use them as a backdrop for effective care delivery. My undergraduate degree is in Psychology. I undertook studies in this area because I had always had a deep-seated desire to help people recover from adverse situations. At the same time, I trained and work as a medical assistant, which has enabled me to have a lot of patient contact. Based on my knowledge of psychology and my clinical experiences, I began to explore career advancement options
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
I agreed that there are differences in educational background and curriculums between nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), and it seems like NPs receive the best educations that are available to them because the curriculums combined both medical and nursing models, but I often feel I am not as prepared as the PAs in regarding to manage higher acuity patients or perform different procedures in clinical practice. This feeling of inadequacy was one of my motivations of returning to school. NPs and PAs are function similarly in our institution and our job descriptions are exactly the same. However, there is a fundamental difference between NPs and PAs, and the difference is in the education.