Any Physician Assistants out there?

I am not a PA, but I do have some info about the program. IN general, a PA is a notch above a nurse, but just below a doctor. You get to do most of what doctors do, but you don’t have to worry as much about malpractice. It’s a great career if you want to be in medicine without being a physician.

As far as classes, don’t worry to much. The admissions process is designed to keep out people who won’t succeed. If you can pass the undergrad prereqs, such as microbiology, and you can get admitted to a PA program, then you can pass the PA courses and succeed. Of course, that doesn’t mean you won’t have to work hard. But, you probably are used to that from your undergrad program.

I have two recommendations at this point:

1) Read the links I have included below and do an internet search (e.g., Google) to find out as much info as you can about the field. The sites below include info on the job duties, types of work available, salaries, college programs, etc.

2) Once you have a good idea of the field, find a PA in your area (try calling doctors’ offices or hospitals and asking around) and talk to a few. Most professionals really enjoy talking to young people who are interested in entering their career fields. There’s a good chance PAs will be willing to spend some time talking to you on the phone and maybe even in person. There’s also a small chance they might let you observe them during work, so you can see the job. Most professionals will do this, but I say there’s a small chance here only because medical privacy laws won’t let them let you see much directly involving patients.

Good luck.