Physician Assistant Training & Schools Guide

Necessary Skills

Physician assistants often work closely with patients and other healthcare providers. As a result, they must regularly utilize a wide variety of hard and soft skills in order to complete their daily tasks. The most successful professionals in these positions possess the appropriate medical knowledge as well as interpersonal and communication skills. Other helpful traits include high levels of professionalism, leadership, practice-based learning, and the ability to provide effective patient care.

PAs are constantly in contact with other professionals in the field as well as patients, so it’s not surprising that communication skills are paramount. These professionals often have to explain complex and delicate medical issues in ways that can be easily understood by patients and their families, as well as work closely with doctors and other healthcare providers.

Because the practice of medicine is complex and patients do not always know how to explain their symptoms, physician assistants must also be observant and detail-oriented. Additionally, particularly complicated medical issues require advanced problem-solving skills to ensure that the appropriate treatments are applied.

Finally, these professional also benefit from being compassionate. This trait helps sick and injured patients feel more comfortable, even when they are experiencing pain, anxiety, or distress. It’s also helpful when communicating with a patients’ worried family members and friends. Some situations can be extremely delicate and even tragic, which means personal emotional stability is also a requirement to help you avoid burnout.

Direct Entry, Dual-Degree Physician Assistant Programs

If you know early that you want to be a physician’s assistant, there may be a more direct route available than the usual bachelor’s degree then master’s degree. Exceptional high school students can take advantage of BS/MS physician assistant programs. Applications are due during the senior year of high school and the process is generally highly competitive. Those selected, however usually spend only five years earning both a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies. Applicants may benefit from some experience in healthcare and are expected to have a firm understanding of what the physician assistant position entails.

Another option is enrolling in an accelerated direct-entry, dual degree program, which allows students to begin more targeted coursework after only three years of undergraduate study. This can decrease the overall time spent in school by at least a year, and helps student avoid the hassle of applying to a new institution between degrees.

It’s important to keep in mind that many of these programs may have higher expectations for applicants. Instead of a 3.0 average GPA, for example, many institutions require a 3.5 minimum GPA to enroll for these degrees.

As with the undergraduate and graduate degrees, it’s essential that you keep the college or university’s accreditation in mind. There are numerous BS/MS and direct-entry programs that are not properly accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Enrolling in one of these could make it difficult or impossible to become licensed as a physician’s assistant after graduation.

Common Coursework

Both of these options are designed to help accelerate the academic process. In most cases, the curriculum is specifically designed to focus on integrating basic science, as well as the application of clinical medicine. Every program is different, but you are likely to see many of the same types of classes previously mentioned.

Examples include:

Experience Need for PA Licensing

As previously mentioned, those intending to enroll in a physician assistant graduate program are likely to need some level of experience providing patient care in order to be seriously considered as a candidate. At the very least, time spent working professionally in the field provides an edge and may help you stand out among others applying for the degree. You may still be able to find a program without patient care experience, but it will be more difficult.

There are many ways to gain this necessary experience. Most aspiring physician assistants begin their careers as EMTs, paramedics, registered nurses, nursing assistants, or other similar healthcare professionals. Time in these jobs is generally considered sufficient for entry to most master’s degree programs.

Alternative ways to gain experience in caring for patients is through volunteering at hospitals or clinics. You may also be able to find and take advantage of opportunities to work with special-needs or at-risk groups through community programs.

To better understand your prospective physician assistant program’s admission requirements, contact the college or university directly. In some cases, the coordinators can provide additional details about the experience needed or recommend ways to achieve it.

Physician Assistant Certifications

In order to become a physician’s assistant, you must be licensed. While the process and regulations regarding this vary by location, every state and the District of Columbia requires PAs to earn their license. There are no other ways to attain this position.

The top priority for any licensure candidate is to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). The primary requirement for PANCE eligibility is graduation from a physician assistant program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Professionals who pass the PANCE are allowed to use the “Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C)” credential.

The material on the exam is generally broken down into two categories:

The PANCE is offered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). This organization’s primary purpose is to provide certification programs that reflect high standards of clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and other medical skills and professional behaviors deemed important to enter the profession and practice as a physician assistant. NCCPA coordinates both the initial certification and recertification exams.

NCCPA does provide sample questions and explanations for answers for those preparing for the examination. There are also 120-question certifying and recertifying practice exams available online to help you direct your study, learn the formatting and timing, and evaluate your potential strengths and weaknesses.

Another licensure law all licensed physician assistants much adhere to is maintaining an agreement with a supervising physician. Supervising physicians do not need to be onsite and observing at all times, but collaboration between the two professionals is required in order to practice legally in every state.

Continuing Education for Physician Assistants

Once you have successfully passed the PANCE and become a licensed physician’s assistant, you will still be responsible for maintaining your certification. PAs are required to complete at least 100 hours of continuing medical education (CME) every two years. There are two types of CME: Category 1 and Category 2. Licensed professionals much complete a minimum of 50 credits in Category 1 CME every certification cycle.

Category 1 CME are activities that have been reviewed and approved by one of the following organizations:

Additionally, continuing education offered by organizations accredited by the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education is acceptable.

Category 2 CME credits are electives related to medicine, patient care, or other related issues.

Some examples include:

In addition to the continuing education requirements, physician assistants need to take NCCPA’s recertification examination every ten years. While the content is the same, the initial certification exam questions do tend to be more specific.