Physician Assistant – How Long Does It Take To Become One

Different schools have different admission policies. Most institutions require students to have a science-related college degree while a few training institutions grant admissions even to students who have healthcare-related work experience. You will almost be guaranteed a spot if you have both the degree in a science field and work experience in the healthcare industry. The time that is necessary to get you into the school should then include all time working in the healthcare industry as well as the time spent in school.

Here’s an important note: if you do not want the admissions committee to reject you, read up on the history of Physician Assistants and ask a doctor or a healthcare professional to help you prepare for the interview. You need to find a source that can tell you what the likely questions will be during the interview. If the admissions committee does not accept the application that you turn in then you should consider how much time you spent on trying because now you have to try to get admission to another school.

As you consider signing up for a physician assistant class, keep in mind that a twenty six month accredited course must be taken prior to beginning to practice according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, or AAPA. So, add another 26 months to the calculations, and ensure that the college you are about to enroll with is accredited. Each exam will be given and managed by the NCCPA, or National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. You should see if the school can give you some additional information in a packet or in a brochure.

An account must be opened with Central Applications Service for Physician Assistants, or CAPSA, as part of the admissions process for a physician assistant. Now, CAPSA does not process applications in quick time – it takes rather long. So, you must ensure that you take this CAPSA-process time into account and apply early – it should not be that your application is cleared after the college has started its course. You must ensure that you do not lose any time. Some colleges require students to complete other application formalities, such as applying to an affiliated or accompanying university. Once someone takes the time to review the information that has been provided to this point, they are sure to understand that they must go through years of schooling and work experience as well as following a strict plan if they want to become a physician assistant.

Once the Physician Assistant course is over, the graduate has to be tested before he is allowed to practice. The exams and testing programs may be different in different states. The state will give a licensing exam to each graduate of the physician assistant program and this is consistent across all states. Some states allow Physician Assistants to start practice after passing the license exam, while some states don’t. This additional time, if it is required, should be considered in the total amount of time it takes to begin practicing. The official title of Physician Assistant – Certified, or PA-C, is only earned once the physician assistant has passed the NCCPA exam, or National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants’ exam. The final title of PA-C can only be maintained if the PA is able to complete at least 100 hours in continuing education classes within each two year time frame and if they get their skills tested once every six years; this will earn them the – C at the end of their title.

As discussed above, the process involved in working as a Physician Assistant does take a long time so you must be sure that you are working hard to accomplish it through each step of the process. Calculate the time that will be taken before enrolling for the course and you will find that careful planning and timing can lead you to success in the profession.

‘How long does it take to become a physician assistant?’ is a commonly asked question among students interested in becoming one. For a more detailed explanation, please visit: Physician Assistant Salary