thoughts on physician assistant school?

KKmama
Thu, 12 Sep 2013 17:15:33 +0000

Easiest way to become a PA is to get into a 3+2 program. That way you are automatically in a grad program as long as you keep up with the GPA and patient contact hours during the first three years. Getting into a grad program is otherwise very difficult (over 800 applicants for about 20 slots in the school my daughter attended).

Financial aid is also easier to get for the 5 year program. My kid had a great scholarship for the first four years (financial aid office considered her undergrad for the 4th year) and a good one for the 5th. Also had some good community scholarships and a VERY generous federal grant for PA students thanks to Obamacare. Came out with about $60K in debt for 5 years, which is pretty decent. And since it is a medical field, I did not have to cosign any student loans for her!

The 500 patient contact hours can be obtained during your three undergrad years by shadowing a PA, VOLUNTEERING in a medical center or nursing home or the like, working part-time as CNA, home healthcare aide, etc. My daughter got hers working during the summer as a home health aide for children with cerebral palsy, and through volunteer programs that the future PA students ran at school. No problem amassing the 500 hours and a lot more.

The classes are VERY demanding and very difficult. The didactic program and clinical rotations went 27 months without a break from May of her third undergrad year through this past August. Students were not allowed to be employed during those 27 months, so you have to have sufficient money to live on. During the 15 months of rotations, she could live any where she chose as long as the docs were willing to accept her. Some students remained in the area of the school, my kid did some there and some close to home, and one went back to his home state thousands of miles away.

Medical students only need to pass a licensing exam for their area of specialty. PA’s take a national exam that covers EVERY field of medical practice, and need to be retested/recertified every few years, so there is a need for much continuing education. My kid is already signed up for a continuing ed program three months after graduation!

On the other hand, that form of testing means that it is relatively easy to switch specialties and find employment. She was bent on family medicine, but her best friend applied for jobs in many fields and took the one that most appealed to her after interviewing.

Starting pay for her family med position is $90K. Her friends in orthopedics, endocrinology and other specialties will be making 10-15K more per year.

Work hours depend on the job setting. My kid has a 36 hour work week and is on call every third day (but that is mostly “yes, you need to get to an ER”/“you should be okay, call the office tomorrow morning”). Other places work their PA’s a lot harder.