Specialties Of The Physician Assistant

If your goal is to become a physician assistant, then congratulations, you have chosen an incredible career path that will not only give you skills, but also allow you to help others in their time of need. Before we go into the physician assistant specialties however, you need to know what is involved in being a physician assistant.

The first thing you need to know is that a PA is similar to a physician, and often has the same responsibilities. A PA will need to work under the supervision of an actual doctor, which could be considered the biggest difference. They will not be under surveillance at all times, however. They will often work alone and attend to patients in the manner of a true doctor. There are a few different physician assistant advancement to take into account, some of which are more exciting than others.

Emergency Medicine -- This is a very fast paced form of medicine, and only eight percent can handle it. You could find yourself dealing with trauma or even surgery.

Pediatrics -- Very few work in physician assistant specialties of this nature. This involves dealing with patients on the in-patient floor as well as high-risk deliveries. They will assess newborns and even cover the ER when they need to.

Psychiatry -- These duties involve evaluating inpatients, discussing the case with the supervisor, and recommending dosage. In the vast majority of cases, a psychiatry PA will work in a hospital.

Obstetrics -- This is the famed OB-GYN position, and a PA in this field will work in a maternity ward, operating room, or an inpatient clinic. They will also work in the operating room, counsel patients, and receive women for

Internal Medicine -- There are many parts to internal medicine, for example cardiology, neurology, hematology, and even dermatology. This station will also involve making hospital rounds with the chief resident, examine patients, along with the assessment of lab results.

Surgery -- Among physician assistant specialties, this is one of the most common jobs. There are several different duties in this specialty which include care before, during, and after surgery. In addition to that they will take down patient history.

These are the primary functions of the physicians assistant, though you will undoubtedly encounter new, and more exciting responsibilities as the field continues to expand in the future. At some point the physician assistant field will expand, which is to be expected as it is fairly new. The PA position will call for you to stay up to date on the various medical techniques, medications, and treatments.

This position does not pay quite as much as that of a PhD, but it is a good stop on the road, or a permanent career for those who love it. If you are ready to experience an exciting career and start helping others for a living, then now would be the right time to start planning and start preparing your resume. It is not going to be an easy position to enter, but it will be worthwhile. You never know just where this might lead.