Physician Assistant Mississippi

A physician assistant is a health care professional who, having obtained a physician assistant license, practices medicine under the supervision of qualified physicians and surgeons. Developed several decades ago to meet a need resulting from a shortage of primary care physicians, the profession of physician assistant has become a fast growing occupation. Unlike a medical assistant, who carries out routine clerical and clinical tasks, a physician assistant has a wide-ranging medical role and is often the primary care provider in clinics where physicians attend regularly but are not on the staff permanently. In such cases, a physician assistant license allows the physician assistant to make independent medical decisions, while still reporting to the supervising physician.

A physician assistant working under a supervising physician can examine patients, order medical tests such as X rays and interpret the results, and treat minor injuries such as those requiring casts or sutures. In most states, a physician assistant can also prescribe medication. In addition to therapeutic, diagnostic, and preventive areas, the health care fields in which a physician assistant can work include pediatrics, geriatrics, emergency medicine, orthopedics, and family medicine. A physician assistant license can also enable a physician assistant to specialize in surgery, providing both preoperative and postoperative care for patients. After specializing in surgery, a physician assistant can also assist with major surgical procedures.

The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) is the only national American professional society representing physician assistants in every area of medicine in all states. In addition to carrying out its aim of providing quality health care, the AAPA is also dedicated to supporting the professional and personal development of its physician assistant members. Through AAPA physician assistant programs, the aspiring physician assistant can obtain the qualifications required by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant and gain the physician assistant license required for practice.

The physician assistant programs of the AAPA are available throughout the United States, mainly at university schools of medicine or allied health and at two and four year colleges. The full-time training for a physician assistant license usually extends beyond 26.5 months. In the first year, the physician assistant students are involved mainly in classroom studies centered on the essential medical sciences. The second year is taken up with clinical rotations in both institutions and private practice.

Areas of medicine covered during the AAPA physician assistant programs include family, internal, emergency, geriatric, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, surgery, orthopedics, psychiatry, and radiology. Through AAPA physician assistant programs, a person studying for a physician assistant license can obtain an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree. No matter what degree a potential physician assistant is seeking, all candidates for a physician assistant license must sit for the same national certifying examination as part of the course.

For anyone wanting to enter AAPA physician assistant programs, some prior experience of working in health care is usually required. Prerequisites for a bachelor’s degree include at least two years of college credits. The prerequisites for those undertaking a master’s degree in AAPA physician assistant programs include undergraduate credits with a minimum grade point average (GPA).

Admission requirements for the various AAPA physician assistant programs vary. Most applicants for AAPA physician assistant programs have already completed bachelor’s degrees before deciding to study for a physician assistant license. Some have worked as registered nurses or in occupations such as paramedics or emergency medical technicians in allied health occupations.

Because of the varying admission requirements, the AAPA suggests that anyone hoping to study for a physician assistant license should seek complete details of prerequisites from the institutions offering the AAPA physician assistant programs. However, there is a general list of subjects that students are advised to study in preparation for entering AAPA physician assistant programs. These include Anatomy, Organic Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Humanities/Psychology, Chemistry, Social Science, Physiology, Nutrition, and Medical Terminology. Also included on the list of subjects recommended for study before undertaking AAPA physician assistant programs are English, College Math, Statistics, and Computer Sciences. Application deadlines for most AAPA physician assistant programs are between November and March, with programs usually getting under way between May and September.