How do you like your job as a physician assistant?

How good of a job is a Physician Assistant?

• I am thinking about what I would like to be, and am considering being a Physician Assistant. If you could also answer these questions, that would be great! 1. Yearly average salary ...show more

• Answer:

  A Physician Assistant is not a "quick" career. You need an appropriate undergrad degree; most usually have something along the lines of a BS in Chemistry or Biology, or they have earned a Bachelors in an Allied Health profession such as Medical Technologist, Respiratory Therapy, etc. Next, most schools want several years of health care.....even at the basic level of an EMT (a CNA is NOT an option here if you want them to take your application seriously). Therefore, helpful classes in high school would be those that will get you admitted to a university with a good science department. If you wait until you have completed your schooling to start your family, you can usually find pretty conducive hours in an Emergency Department or Urgent Care Center if you didn't want something Monday-Friday. EDIT: Let me say that my answer is not "incorrect".........If you apply to a Masters-level PA program with only CNA experience, you will likely have your application thrown out! An EMT course takes only a month or two longer than a CNA course and teaches you to think and evaluate a patient's complaint/injury/illness and what to do to stabilize it until a physician is there while a CNA class teaches someone how to feed and clean up patients and take orders from RNs and LPNs. There is a world of difference in the two when being evaluated by an admissions commitee to grad school!!