Physician Assistants
Occupational Description
The physician assistant (PA) is academically and clinically prepared
to practice medicine under the direction and responsible supervision
of a doctor of medicine or osteopathy. The type of services provided
by the supervising physician determines the scope of practice. According
to the American Academy of Physician
Assistants (AAPA), the role of physician assistants include,
but are not limited to:
- Taking medical histories
- Performing physical examinations
- Ordering and interpreting laboratory tests
- Diagnosing illness
- Treating illness
- Counseling patients
- Promoting wellness
- Assisting at surgery
- Prescribing medications and other treatments.
Physician-PA Relationship
The physician-PA team relationship is fundamental to the PA profession
and enhances the delivery of high-quality health care. Within the
physician-PA relationship, PAs make clinical decisions and provide
a broad range of diagnostic, therapeutic, preventive, and health
maintenance services. PA practice is centered on patient care and
may include educational, research, and administrative activities.
What a physician assistant does varies with training, experience,
and state law. In addition, the scope of the PA's practice corresponds
to the supervising physician's practice. In general, a physician
assistant will see many of the same types of patients as the physician.
The cases handled by physicians are generally the more complicated
medical cases or those that require care that is not a routine part
of the PA's scope of work. Referral to the physician, or close consultation
between the patient-PA-physician, is done for unusual or hard to
manage cases. Physician assistants are taught to "know their
limits" and refer to physicians appropriately.
Personal Skills & Characteristics
The role of the physician assistant demands intelligence, sound
judgment, intellectual honesty, appropriate interpersonal skills,
and the capacity to react to emergencies in a calm and reasoned
manner. An attitude of respect for self and others, adherence to
the concepts of privilege and confidentiality in communicating with
patients, and a commitment to the patient's welfare are essential
attributes of the professional PA.
Employment
Physicians' offices employ the largest number of PAs followed by
health clinics, health maintenance organizations, Federal Government
agencies, hospitals, nursing homes, and correctional facilities.
It is common for physician assistants to work in areas where physicians
may be in short supply.
The 2007 Physician Assistant Census, published by the American Academy of Physician Assistants, states that PAs practice in over 60 specialty fields. The study indicates that 37% of physician assistants are practicing in primary care. Family practice/general medicine is the most common specialty for physician assistants (25%), followed by general surgery/surgical subspecialties, subspecialties of internal medicine, emergency medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology.
The majority of the PA practice is in ambulatory care settings. More than four in ten respondents (44%) are employed by a single or multi-specialty physician group practice while 23% are employed by hospitals and 13% are employed by solo physician offices. The government employs about 9% of the physician assistant workforce, primarily in the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The remaining members of the profession are working in managed care organizations, community health centers, correctional facilities, and other settings.
Earnings
The 2007 AAPA Physician Assistant Census Survey indicates that the median total annual income for respondents who work at least 32 hours per week for their primary employer and who are not self-employed is $82,223; the mean is $86,214. The comparable figures for respondents who graduated in 2006 are $71,825 and $73,013, respectively. The average age of a PA is 41; 64% are female and 36% are male.
Job Outlook
According to the findings published in AAPA’s 2007 Survey, the projected number of people in clinical practice as PAs is 92%. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of PAs is expected to grow 27 percent from 2006 to 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. PAs will rank among the fastest growing occupations, due to anticipated expansion of the health care industry and an emphasis on cost containment, resulting in increasing utilization of PAs by physicians and health care institutions.
Planning Ahead
The Career Center has a team of pre-health counselors to help students
with a preparation and application timeline that fits their circumstances.
Appointments may be scheduled with a pre-health counselor by calling
734/764-7460 or stopping by the office at 3200 Student Activities
Building.
Educational Requirements
Admission requirements vary, but many programs require at least
two years of college and some work experience in the healthcare
field. Students should take courses in biology, English, chemistry,
math, psychology, and social sciences. More than two-thirds of all
applicants hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree and have considerable
health-related experience. The average PA student is 27 years old, has a bachelor’s degree and four years of health care experience.
About one-third of PA schools now require a bachelor’s degree for
admission and grant master’s degrees upon completion.
For general physician assistant requirement questions contact
a pre-health academic advisor in LSA. For school specific questions,
contact the schools directly.
Preparation Beyond The Classroom
Many PA programs have a strong preference for individuals who have
spent some time working in the health field as nurses or allied
health practitioners. If you are interested in becoming a PA, be
sure to conduct informational interviewing and job shadowing to
augment your preparation and target appropriate programs. To contact
PAs, you may wish to tap into the Alumni Networks at http://alumni.umich.edu/networking-tools
Be sure to keep a log of all your volunteer and employed clinical
experiences since many programs will require thorough documentation
of your previous health care experience.
Application Process Overview
Students applying to physician assistant programs are strongly encouraged
to initiate their application process one and a half years prior
to when they plan to enroll.
Many PA schools subscribe the Central Application Service for Physician
Assistants (CASPA). https://secure.caspaonline.org/
This web-based service allows applicants to apply to any number
of participating PA educational programs by completing a single
application. Applicants interested in non CASPA-participating schools,
need to apply to those schools directly. For a list of physician
assistant programs visit: http://www.aapa.org/pgmlist.php3
Admissions committees for physician assistant programs review credentials
such as academic qualifications, the results from the standardized
test (MCAT, GRE, or MAT) grade point average, letters of reference,
personal interview and previous health care experiences. Keep in
mind that these are general admission criteria and other admission
requirements vary from school to school.
Standardized Tests
Required standardized tests vary by program. Please check the program
descriptions to identify which tests are required by a particular
program. Some of the most common standardized tests required for
admission to physician assistant programs are the:
Medical
College Admission Test (MCAT)
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized, multiple-choice
examination designed to assess problem solving, critical thinking,
and writing skills in addition to the examinee's knowledge of science
concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine. Scores
are reported in each of the following areas: Verbal Reasoning, Physical
Sciences, Writing Sample, and Biological Sciences.
Graduate Record Examination
(GRE)
The General Test measures analytical writing, verbal, and quantitative
skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that
are not related to any specific field of study.
Reference Letters
Letters of reference are necessary from individuals who know applicants
well and can comment on their suitability and preparation for a
health care career and academic preparation. Such individuals might
include academicians, physicians, PAs or other health care providers.
The Career Center’s Reference Letter Service (RLS) offers University
of Michigan students and alumni/ae the opportunity to have letters
of reference on file to use in support of their employment and continuing
education efforts. Open
a reference letter file with the RLS.
Personal Statement Information
A short autobiographical essay should state your reasons for wanting
to become a physician assistant and emphasize the applicant’s
civic, social and school activities, achievements, and work history.
If you need assistance getting started on your personal statement or would welcome feedback on your draft, please schedule an advising appointment at The Career Center by calling 734/764-7460.
Interviews
Most PA schools require personal interviews with candidates to assess
qualities such as desire to help people, self-confidence, ability
to meet challenges, ability to get along with people and capacity
to work independently. The personal interview also provides an opportunity
to ask about the school. Gather interview tips through available
literature and interview programs sponsored by The Career Center.
Schedule a videotaped mock interview at The Career Center, 3200
SAB (734/764-7460) to gain practice and confidence.
Admissions Update
According to the PAEA, during the 2007-2008 application cycle, 10,550 people applied to PA programs. This is a 16.8% increase from the previous year. 24.5% of applicants were male, 73.1% female, and 2.4% unreported. The Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) also reports that for the 2006-2007 cycle, there were 9,031 applicants to PA programs and 3,715 were accepted. 26.4% of those admitted were male, 71.1% were female. The average age of admitted applicants was 27.1. Also, for admitted applicants, the mean science GPA was 3.29 and the mean cumulative GPA was 3.39.
Resources To Learn More
Links to Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do
not constitute an endorsement. General information on PA careers
is available from:
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), 950 North
Washington Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314-1552, (703) 836-2272,
(703) 684-1924 (fax), aapa@aapa.org
http://www.aapa.org
Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), 300 North Washington
Street, Suite 505, Alexandria, VA, 22314-2544, (703) 548-5538,
(703) 548-5539 (fax), info@paeaonline.org
http://www.paeaonline.org
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