Becoming a Physician Associate had been a lifelong dream. After entering the Air Force at age 18 and attending the initial medical technician training program, my military career led me from ward work to a clinic far from the main base. Never did it occur to me, however, that correctional health was in my future.
You have just completed an arduous course of study which has demanded a lot of sacrifices: study, financial cost, neglected friendships, and delayed marriage plans. The initial goal was just to graduate; now you are required to take a certification examination to determine if all of your hard work was fruitful. When the large envelope arrives with your certification from the NCCPA you are then ready to start. Correct? No! Now you will now need to make more decisions that determine your future. And these decisions are just as complex as your clinical training.
Congratulations! You have chosen a great career! Physician Assistant (Associate) remains one of the best career choices in the nation. The unique personalities and professional abilities of PAs combine to create tremendous financial opportunities! Continue your journey by becoming the best version of yourself and establish a basis of financial education. The PAs Guide To Financial Planning is a one-stop-shop for PAs to begin or improve their personal finances!
Is the term mid-level provider offensive? Yes, yes it is. And worse yet it’s not an accurate description of the care provided by PAs and NPs. So where did the term mid-level provider or mid-level practitioner come from and what should we be saying instead? Let’s start with the origin of the term itself.
Physician assistant residencies have been around for roughly five decades now and continue to be a hot topic. They average from one to two years in length and span from surgical to non-surgical specialties. Most studies have focused on similar parameters of these residency programs such as short and long-term …
$21 million is a lot of money especially when it won’t change a single thing about PA practice. Those more important battles would likely have to wait years until a name change is complete. There is a better option. Focus on the future. Focus on becoming, and better yet earning, the title of doctor. Spend that $21 million on untethering PAs and PA Doctors from physicians. “Just say MCP?” Naw, just say Doctor.
There are many reasons to become a PA. It might be job security, earning a decent income, or helping others. You’re not alone, however. You might have noticed that Physician Assistants (PAs) seem to have one of the top jobs in the country.
PAs have been Masters of medicine since the 1990s–is it time they move on? Doctors are no longer exclusively MDs or DOs. PAs must ask themselves if it’s time to get on board with the entry-level doctorate.
I have a Physician Assistant friend who goes into a funk when her paycheck gets deposited each month. It’s not the amount getting her down—She makes a lot of money. She’s been with a great medical university for 15 years and receives an annual 3% raise. She doesn’t hate her …
When students are deciding on specialties they’d like to pursue, they often talk about “The ROAD” or “The ROAD to Happiness” also known as the fields of Radiology, Opthalmology, Anesthesia, or Dermatology. Medical and PA students are not known for being stupid. They’re well aware of the mountainous debt and …
