| The road to Physician Assistant certificateSome may | | | | stellar! It starts with the personal statement. |
| think of Physician Assistant's profession as just | | | | Your personal statement is what separates you |
| another job, while others have never heard of this | | | | from the others. Those who apply have a high GPA |
| career. Physician Assistant or PA is relatively new | | | | and extensive medical background, but only one |
| profession. It was established in the late 1960's after | | | | person can stand out with a personal narrative about |
| the Vietnam War. During that time there were a lot | | | | themselves and why they want to be a Physician |
| of experienced Navy corpsmen coming home from | | | | Assistant. Pay close attention to the questions asked, |
| the war. Navy corpsmen are Navy medics who serve | | | | and do lots of research and proofreading before you |
| with the Marines. Corpsman gained an extensive | | | | submit your application.The second hardest thing is |
| amount of combat medicine. They cared for | | | | the interview. If you were invited to the interview |
| hundreds of wounded changing their bandages, | | | | then there is something in your application that made |
| administering medications, performing minor surgical | | | | you worthy of PA profession. Now, selection |
| procedures, and numerous life-saving procedures. | | | | committee wants to meet you in person and see if |
| Corpsmen had no equivalent job in the civilian life, so | | | | you would make a good PA. They will ask you |
| the Physician Assistant profession was | | | | questions, personal questions sometimes to find out |
| developed.Today, those who wish to apply to PA | | | | about your character. Think about it, no one wants a |
| program don't have to be Navy corpsmen, however | | | | money hungry provider overcharging patients. When |
| medical experience is a must. Usually, PA programs | | | | interviewers are asking you questions, they are |
| like their applicants to have at least two years of | | | | asking them self only one question, "Would I want |
| relevant medical background. What that means is | | | | this person to take care of me and my family?" |
| someone who has been working as a medical | | | | After you get accepted, you face two more |
| assistant, a nurse, paramedic, respiratory therapists, | | | | challenges.First is two years of intensive studies. |
| and such. Volunteering, medical billing, coding, office | | | | Physician Assistant school is designed exactly like a |
| type of work is not considered to be relevant | | | | medical school that doctors go through, only it's |
| medical experience. They look for people with patient | | | | compressed into two and a half years instead of |
| hands on type of experience.In addition to | | | | four. |
| experience, a potential applicant must be in good | | | | The last challenge is the certifying exam. It is |
| academic standing. There are prerequisite classes | | | | composed of 600 questions. It's a little shorter then |
| which must be completed before application. Each | | | | doctors have to take which is 800 questions. When |
| program is a little different, but usually they want | | | | that hurdle has been accomplished, you are now a |
| Anatomy and Physiology, English, Biology, | | | | licensed practicing PA.As anyone can see the road to |
| Microbiology, and Chemistry. Most programs require a | | | | becoming a certified Physician Assistant isn't an easy |
| Bachelors degree. There are a few left that don't, | | | | one. It requires lots of experience and college |
| but soon they all will require some sort of Bachelors | | | | education just to be able to apply to PA program. |
| degree.Once you have those things completed, the | | | | Than once in the program two years of intensive |
| hardest thing is application process itself. It's the | | | | studying follows. It takes a strong moral character, |
| hardest process because now you have to compete | | | | lots of dedication, and a good heart to become a |
| with five hundred other applicants for roughly 50 | | | | Physician Assistant. |
| seats in the class. So your application has to be | | | | |