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Enjoy Healthy Job Prospects as a Physician Assistant

By Kate McIntyre
Learning & Life Columnist

Do you want a more meaningful career? Are you interested in medicine--but not in a decade of med school? Consider a career as a physician assistant to break into the healthcare field quickly.

Benefits of a Physician Assistant Career

CNN Money recently published a list of the 50 best jobs in the country. Physician assistant placed an impressive fifth, thanks to its high salary range and great career prospects. According to CNN Money, physician assistants earn $75,117 per year on average. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that physician assisting is one of the fastest-growing jobs in the country. Because there will be so many new jobs created over the next few years, people with the right training should have excellent job options.

Physician assistants work under a physician's supervision, but they perform many of the same tasks that the doctor does. They treat patients, make diagnoses, and take medical histories. In most states, they can also prescribe medications. Popular specialties for physician assistants include pediatrics, family medicine, and internal medicine.

Earning Your Physician Assistant Degree

Generally, you need to have already completed two years of college to gain admittance to a physician assistant program. Make sure that you choose a physician assistant program from a college, university, or hospital that is accredited by the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Physician assistant programs take around two years to complete. You'll study biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, pathology, and other medical subjects.

A career as a physician assistant gives you many of the benefits of working as a physician, without the drawback of a long training program. In this medical career, you will have the chance to work directly with patients and see firsthand how much good you can do in this healthcare career.

Sources

• CNN Money, "Best Jobs in America: Physician Assistant"
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Physician Assistants"

About the Author
Kate McIntyre, a fiction writer in Portland, Oregon, holds an M.F.A. in fiction writing from Oregon State University.

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