Health Career: Physician Assistant
Who are physician assistants and what do they do?
Physician assistants perform many of the same tasks as a doctor, but they do not have as much education, training or independence. Although they can treat patients for common health conditions and make medical diagnoses, they must report everything they do to a supervising doctor. Physician assistants often take medical histories, make initial diagnoses, give physical examinations, and prescribe certain drugs and counsel patients. They can also take X-rays, set simple fractures and treat common minor illnesses. They may specialize in certain areas of care such as cardiology, surgery or orthopedics.
How do physician assistants typically spend their workday?
As a physician assistant, you will generally work in a doctor's office, health clinic, hospital or public health agency. You may specialize in areas such as surgery or children's health. If you work in family practice, you will treat people of all ages for non-threatening health problems. On an average day, you may treat one patient for the flu, see another person for allergy symptoms, provide a few physical examinations and prepare summaries of these patients' conditions and symptoms for the doctor's review. You will work closely with the doctor to determine the appropriate medical treatment for each patient.
What does it take to be a good physician assistant?
If you want to have many of the responsibilities of a doctor without actually going to medical school and you enjoy working closely with patients, you should consider training as a physician assistant. You must be a hard-working, responsible person who likes to help others. You should also enjoy working with all kinds of people and be prepared to work as part of a team. It is also helpful to be interested in science and medicine.
What are some health-related jobs that are similar to that of a physician assistant?
Nurse practitioner, registered nurse, doctor, EMT.
Related links and helpful information:
- Association of Physician Assistant Programs (APAP)
- American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
- AAPA – Information About the Physicians Assistant Profession
- National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants
