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Do you recommend being a PA
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Wynter’s Answer
Daniela,
I think deciding whether to be a Physician Assistant is based on personal decision. I recently graduated from undergrad with intentions of pursuing a career as a PA and recently changed my decision because ultimately that wasn’t my passion. There a lot of perks to becoming a PA if it is truly your passion.
A few reasons I personally wanted to pursue PA:
1. Unlike being a doctor, there is flexibility in the departments (i.e., OBGYN, Dermatology, etc.) for which you would like to work
2. You get a lot of time with patients, which is something doctors are not able to do as often due to their case loads.
3. The pay is higher than average and it is a rising career field
Some cons for why I chose differently:
1. I found interest is Psychology and although there are Psych PAs, I figured I would rather skip the physiological learning side and go straight into being a therapist.
2. I lost interest in undergrad with the science pre-requisites such as Biology and Chemistry (which were a personal struggle for me)
3. I had not gained enough patient care hours nor did I get an opportunity to shadow any PAs.
Here are some articles you may want to go through to learn more about the field:
9 Reasons to Become a PA- https://www.aapa.org/news-central/2018/12/9-reasons-to-become-a-pa/
Pros and Cons of Being a Physician Assistant- https://careers.alot.com/career-paths/pros-and-cons-of-being-a-physicians-assistant---13835
Become a PA- https://www.aapa.org/career-central/become-a-pa/
There are also some great YouTube channels ran by PAs that give great tips and personal stories about their journey such as Adanna the PA, https://www.youtube.com/c/AdannaThePA
Although I have told you my personal journey for my decision on PA, look into the pros and cons for yourself. PA is a great career choice. It is all about where you would like to go and what career you see yourself being successful and happy in. It is a great career path and as you research, look further into where you want to attend school, what prerequisites you have to take and how many patient care hours you will need to have. Please look through the links provided to get more information.
I hope this helped!
I think deciding whether to be a Physician Assistant is based on personal decision. I recently graduated from undergrad with intentions of pursuing a career as a PA and recently changed my decision because ultimately that wasn’t my passion. There a lot of perks to becoming a PA if it is truly your passion.
A few reasons I personally wanted to pursue PA:
1. Unlike being a doctor, there is flexibility in the departments (i.e., OBGYN, Dermatology, etc.) for which you would like to work
2. You get a lot of time with patients, which is something doctors are not able to do as often due to their case loads.
3. The pay is higher than average and it is a rising career field
Some cons for why I chose differently:
1. I found interest is Psychology and although there are Psych PAs, I figured I would rather skip the physiological learning side and go straight into being a therapist.
2. I lost interest in undergrad with the science pre-requisites such as Biology and Chemistry (which were a personal struggle for me)
3. I had not gained enough patient care hours nor did I get an opportunity to shadow any PAs.
Here are some articles you may want to go through to learn more about the field:
9 Reasons to Become a PA- https://www.aapa.org/news-central/2018/12/9-reasons-to-become-a-pa/
Pros and Cons of Being a Physician Assistant- https://careers.alot.com/career-paths/pros-and-cons-of-being-a-physicians-assistant---13835
Become a PA- https://www.aapa.org/career-central/become-a-pa/
There are also some great YouTube channels ran by PAs that give great tips and personal stories about their journey such as Adanna the PA, https://www.youtube.com/c/AdannaThePA
Although I have told you my personal journey for my decision on PA, look into the pros and cons for yourself. PA is a great career choice. It is all about where you would like to go and what career you see yourself being successful and happy in. It is a great career path and as you research, look further into where you want to attend school, what prerequisites you have to take and how many patient care hours you will need to have. Please look through the links provided to get more information.
I hope this helped!
Updated
Estelle’s Answer
Being a PA is a great job with lots of opportunities. The education course requires 4 year undergraduate degree then 2 years PA school. The training after that is "on the job," and you will be in demand. Many surgeons hire PA's to provide screening exams for patients that might require surgery, assist in surgery, and postop exams. The field is interesting with good pay.
Updated
Richard’s Answer
I am a radiologist who works with 5 PAs and they seem satisfied for their jobs.
They spend 1/3 of their day evaluating patients for procedures, completing a history and physical on each patient.
The other 2/3 of the day is performing radiology procedures such as:
Barium studies, like upper gi series or barium enema
Ultrasound guided biopsies of thyroid and liver
CT guided biopsies of lung and liver
CT guided drainages of abdominal abscess
Placing central lines, dialysis catheters and PIC lines.
They spend 1/3 of their day evaluating patients for procedures, completing a history and physical on each patient.
The other 2/3 of the day is performing radiology procedures such as:
Barium studies, like upper gi series or barium enema
Ultrasound guided biopsies of thyroid and liver
CT guided biopsies of lung and liver
CT guided drainages of abdominal abscess
Placing central lines, dialysis catheters and PIC lines.