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Not every physician assistant school is able to produce PA-Cs. In fact, the school has to be accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). And once the certification is given, the PA-C has to complete 100 extra hours of education every two years and pass a test to be recertified every six years.
Being a physician assistant is a great career to get into. It pays very well and it’s also very rewarding. But don’t think that it’s an easy career to get into. There is a great deal that must be learned and, therefore, the education and training is quite extensive. But there are many great physician assistant schools that will give you a solid education.
Like any other field of study, there are schools throughout the world that offer education and training to become a physician assistant.
In the United States there are many schools in each and every state that offer such an education. Some of these schools are also medical schools but they don’t have to be. In fact, some schools don’t train doctors at all but they do have a very good physician assistant program.
There are actually a couple different types of physician assistants that people can become. Therefore there are a couple different types of physician assistant schools. One type prepares people to become physician assistants (PA) while the other type prepares people to become physician assistant – certified (PA-C).
The PA-C is a more strenuous certification to gain. It means the person has met all the guidelines set forth by the National Commission on Certification of Physical Assistants (NCCPA). It also means the person has passed the necessary tests that are required by the NCCPA. |
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The first ever physician assistant school was formed at Duke University Medical School in North Carolina. The very first class was formed in 1965 and was made-up of naval medical personnel who had mostly served in the Viet Nam War. The actual program was based on the fast track programs for doctors that were used during World War II. To this day the program is still very similar.
While each and every physician assistant school has its own unique way of educating future PAs, they are all somewhat similar. This is because every PA program must meet national standards. However, each state licenses physician assistants. And each state allows PAs to perform different tasks. For example, 39 states allow PAs to prescribe medicine but the other 13 do not.
It generally takes about 25 months to complete a PA program. Usually in the first year future PAs will take courses such as anatomy, biology, physiology, biochemistry, and pathology. In the second year students concentrate more on clinical care in a variety of field including pediatrics, geriatrics, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and surgery.
A career as a physician assistant is a very rewarding experience. It’s a job that will always be in demand too, especially with the way the healthcare field is currently experiencing shortages as demand for care surges higher. There are many great physician assistant schools throughout the United States and the world. While all of these schools have to be very similar, they each have their own unique ways of doing some things which sets them apart from each other. These differences are what must be considered when choosing a physician assistant school.
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