What Does a Physician Assistant (PA) Do?

A physician assistant (PA) is a medical professional who works under a medical doctor and is also able to examine, diagnose and treat patients. At Concordia University, Nebraska, the pre-physician assistant program can prepare you to attend and succeed in PA school. So what does it look like to work as a PA?  

The educational path of a future certified physician assistant (PA-C) begins at the undergraduate level with a well-rounded program consisting of courses in chemistry, biology, human anatomy, immunology and more. Future physician assistants must attend graduate school, so students should explore the undergraduate prerequisites for their intended graduate programs, making sure that they fulfill the necessary requirements prior to enrolling. 

Graduate school for PAs lasts for at least two years, assuming a full-time course of study. PA programs are competitive, but one’s undergraduate experience can have a significant impact on chances of acceptance. A high GPA, applying early in the cycle and gaining shadowing or clinical experience can all contribute to making an applicant more competitive. In addition, strong application materials like personal statements and interviews are extremely valuable. 

In PA school, you’ll spend lots of time studying and memorizing. For the first year or year and a half, you’ll continue your studies in the basic sciences – think anatomy and physiology, biochemistry and biology. Then, your courses will become more clinical in nature, as you study topics like cardiology, gastroenterology and more. These courses tend to be more conceptual in nature. After that, you will complete about a year of clinical rotations, where you put what you’ve learned into practice, working hands-on while supervised.  

Some future PAs choose to take elective rotations in areas of interest. Upon finishing your rotations, you’ll have to take exams and finally, pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE), which results in licensure and the ability to use the title “PA-C.”  

On the job, physician assistants’ duties are wide-ranging. While they can’t practice as independent medical providers, they may have high levels of autonomy. For example, a physician assistant may serve as the primary health care provider in some rural medical clinics where a medical doctor (MD) can only be present two or three days each week.  

In addition, physician assistants practice in various specialties, just like doctors. Therefore, they may carry out their duties under a dermatologist, cardiologist or internal medicine physician. Overall, however, PAs are present to serve as medical experts on teams of physicians or surgeons and other healthcare workers. They may work with nurses, other PAs, physicians and medical assistants as they examine patients, prescribe medications, provide education and assess patient progress.  

However, a physician assistant’s job is not the same as that of a medical assistant, registered nurse (RN) or a physician. PAs do not attend four-year medical schools or serve as residents like physicians do. Unlike nurses, PAs can – in applicable cases – provide surgical care and unlike medical assistants, who normally complete clerical duties, they can practice medicine.  

If you are an undergraduate student who is interested in the practice of medicine, being able to specialize in a particular area and wants to have the support of a supervising physician, the pre-physician assistant program at Concordia Nebraska may be just the place for you. Plus, physician assistants’ salaries can far surpass $100,000 annually – and the projected job growth over the next decade for all types of PAs comes in at over 25 percent! Growth for all U.S. jobs is around five percent, meaning that future PAs can generally expect minimal difficulty in finding a job.  

The pre-physician assistant program at Concordia University, Nebraska provides students with an outline for completing prerequisite courses that will enable them to enroll in PA schools across the country. Students will have the opportunity to take specialized courses related to various aspects of the physician assistant profession. Learn more about the program here.