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Accredited Physician Assistant Programs
There are over one hundred and forty accredited Physician Assistant programs in the US. In the rapidly expanding field of health care there is no shortage of positions for a certified Physician Assistant (PA), and the demand is expected to grow over time. The training time is usually around two years of full time, and most training centers require applicants to already have their Bachelor’s Degree and some prior experience in the medical field.
Training is usually given at academic health institutions, medical schools or colleges. Some hospitals also have training courses. Most of the training centers have close ties with a medical school where their students are able to gain clinical experience. Out of the approximately 140 AP programs, over eighty percent offer a Master’s Degree. Some schools offer the ability to work towards a Bachelor’s Degree while working on their PA training–this is helpful for anyone who enters the program without already having a Bachelor’s Degree.
Education is as complete as it is for a medical practitioner in most cases, with first year physicians and first year PA’s often studying together for the first year of the program. As well as classroom studies, most courses also require a certain amount of hours of clinical training under supervision.
In order to practice medicine a PA must be certified. This certification is given after the PA successfully passes an examination at the end of their studies. However, studying does not stop once the PA receives certification. In order to maintain their position they must also commit to at least one hundred hours of continued educational studies ever two years and they must also sit for, and pass, a reexamination every six years. This is necessary to keep the PA up-to-date with current medical practices. This is an important point as a PA must be prepared to basically continue their education for life, or for as long as they plan to practice medicine, if they wish to continue in this field of work.
There are also many other option programs and study courses open to a PA, especially one that wishes to specialize in a particular field such as surgery, emergency care or any other health related niche. Popular post graduate study programs include internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency care and surgery. Only PAs who have already graduated and received certification are eligible to participate in these post-grad programs.