A physician assistant is a person who is not a medical person, but a person who is able to help the Physician. In some places, the physician assistant can be a person who is a paramedical or a person who has trained in other courses, but is doing the work of a Physician assistant. There are certain specific roles that each physician assistant will have and this helps the person to be able to help the physician.
The Physician assistant is also a person who deals with patients. The assistant is the one who is instrumental in meeting the needs of the patient. On the other hand, the PA as the person is usually known will not be able to see patients independently. The amount of independence that is granted to the individual who is in this profession depends on the state where the person is working.
The steps in becoming a PA are as follows:
1. Education:
The person should have a basic qualification at the Bachelors degree level for becoming a PA. Any person who has done a degree will be eligible and apply to any college that offers the course, but on the other hand, it is very important to note that any person who has completed a course in Biology or any related subjects will be accepted because they may get more preference. So, the education for the Physician assistant will be after the Bachelor's degree course.
2. Internship:
During the two year course, the person will be rotated in various clinical disciplines, where the person will learn a lot about seeing patients and treating them. It should be understood that the supervision of a Physician is very important during this learning phase for the person to learn about the course and the diseases that can affect patients.
3. Clinical exposure:
Once the person has completed the formal education for a period of two years, the person will be able to practice. This means that the individual who is working as a PA needs to work in a place where a Physician is available to supervise the person. The amount of supervision that is needed for the person to practice will change from one place to another.
4. Patient care:
The patient care that is provided by the person is the one that determines whether the person will be a success or a failure. The patient care is the main job of the person and the individual needs to be perfect in that job to be able to get over the initial hiccups that may occur in treating patients.
5. Specialties:
There are various disciplines in which the person can work. This will depend on the interest of the person and also depend on the need. The person will be assisting a surgeon in the surgical procedure if needed or the person may be treating a person with a complaint that does not need surgery. As the person gets over the problems initially, this is sure to be one of the most satisfying professions if it is enjoyed by the Physician assistant.
Any person who needs to be a part of this profession can try to enter one of the many good schools that have this course and then participate in it. This will help the person to excel and be successful in the profession.
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