subject: Tips on Choosing a Physician Assistant Program [print this page] Tips on Choosing a Physician Assistant Program
In order to become a physician assistant, there are steps that a student must complete before getting that certificate. If you want to become a physician assistant, you need to complete an accredited PA program. There are at least over 140 physician assistant programs accredited in the United States, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Here, are some basic steps that you can take to find a suitable program that fits your needs best.
First, decide on what school and where you would like to attend a program. Would you like to stay somewhere in your state, or would you prefer to go to an out of state program? Where the school is, will fall heavily upon how much the cost is for the physician assistant programs; if you need to save money, then chose a school in your state.
Make sure that you have all the right requisite for this course. These requisites include physiology, human anatomy, biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, microbiology, psychology, and statistics. There are certain schools that require a level of standards, and many ask for a GPA over 3.0. It is a requirement before attending physician assistant programs that you must have a Bachelor's Degree or Degree.
Go to the school that you would like to go to and have a look around. Talk with the professors and school advisors about some of the classes involved in your program. When discussing the program with an advisor, ask about how long the duration of the program is, and what percentage of students are when they become qualified. Discuss if there are exams or any other requirements that is needed for a placement, or any other requirements needed to attend. For example it may be a requirement to have the following, Medical College Admission Test, Graduate Record Exam or there maybe a certain number of hours of patient care.
Talk it over with your family or even a counselor about what the pros and cons are for the physicians assistant programs. Consider, whether or not you felt more at home when you visited a specific school, or was the certification rate better at one of the schools? When looking around, chose at least three schools, and apply to all of the ones chosen. This will help increase your chances of getting into one of the physician assistants programs. Chose the school, carefully, as this is the place that you will be going to for your entire degree.
