FAQs
Q: How many accredited PA programs are there?
A: There are over 140 PA programs in the US. Programs are accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The ARC-PA is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
The typical PA program is 24-32 months long and requires at least four years of college and some health care experience prior to admission. The majority of students have a BA/BS degree and prior health care experience before admission to a PA program.
While all programs recognize the professional component of PA education with a document of completion for the professional credential (PA), 80 percent of the programs also award a master’s degree. [113 award master’s degrees, 21 award bachelor’s degree, 3 award associate degrees, and 5 award certificates.]
The typical PA program is 24-32 months long and requires at least four years of college and some health care experience prior to admission. The majority of students have a BA/BS degree and prior health care experience before admission to a PA program.
While all programs recognize the professional component of PA education with a document of completion for the professional credential (PA), 80 percent of the programs also award a master’s degree. [113 award master’s degrees, 21 award bachelor’s degree, 3 award associate degrees, and 5 award certificates.]
Q: I see that a lot of physician assistants have PA-C after their names. What does the “C” stand for?
Q: What is the number of PAs?
A: AAPA estimates there were 88,771 people eligible to practice as PAs and 74,469 people in clinical practice as PAs at the beginning of May 2010.
A: AAPA estimates there were 88,771 people eligible to practice as PAs and 74,469 people in clinical practice as PAs at the beginning of May 2010.
Q: How many students are there?
A: Approximately 12,470 students are currently enrolled in PA programs. The number of new graduates in 2007 was approximately 4,600.
A: Approximately 12,470 students are currently enrolled in PA programs. The number of new graduates in 2007 was approximately 4,600.
Q: What is a PAs income?
A: Results of the 2009 AAPA Physician Assistant Census Survey indicate that the mean total income from primary employer for PAs who are not self-employed and who work at least 32 hours per week for their primary employer is $93,105 (standard deviation $23,867); the median is $87,500. The comparable mean for PAs who graduated in 2008 is $78,405 (standard deviation $14,245); the median is $77,500.
Q: Where do physician assistants work?
Q: What can a PA do?
Q: Where can PAs prescribe
A: All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands have enacted laws that authorize PA prescribing.
Q: What is the outlook of the profession?
A: All states plus the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands have laws or regulations authorizing PA practice.
A: All states plus the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands have laws or regulations authorizing PA practice.
Q: What is the difference between a physician assistant and a nurse practitioner?
A: Physician assistants are trained in a classical medical model while nurse practitioners are trained by the nursing model. PAs are allowed to work in any profession of medicine and can always change professions when they desire. PAs are required to have a BS or undergraduate degree in what they choose with some health care experience. NPs on the other hand, receive more advanced training in nursing and have to stick with the specialty that they choose. They are required to receive their RN before they can go on to be an NP.
This is all information from the AAPA website. If you want more, I recommend you go there. ;) I also added some info.
A: Physician assistants are trained in a classical medical model while nurse practitioners are trained by the nursing model. PAs are allowed to work in any profession of medicine and can always change professions when they desire. PAs are required to have a BS or undergraduate degree in what they choose with some health care experience. NPs on the other hand, receive more advanced training in nursing and have to stick with the specialty that they choose. They are required to receive their RN before they can go on to be an NP.
Q: What are the certification and CME and requirements?
A: PAs receive their national certification from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Only graduates of an accredited PA program are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). Once a PA is certified, he/she must complete a continuous six-year cycle to keep her/his certificate current. Every two years, a PA must earn and log 100 CME hours and reregister her/his certificate with the NCCPA (second and fourth years), and by the end of the sixth year, recertify by successfully completing either the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Examination (PANRE) or Pathway II. Please note: The last administration of Pathway II will be held in 2010 and therefore, only PAs that will be in their fifth or sixth year by 2010 will be eligible for this option. All states require passage of the PANCE for state licensure. Forty-three states have provisions for new graduates to practice prior to passage of PANCE.
A: PAs receive their national certification from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Only graduates of an accredited PA program are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). Once a PA is certified, he/she must complete a continuous six-year cycle to keep her/his certificate current. Every two years, a PA must earn and log 100 CME hours and reregister her/his certificate with the NCCPA (second and fourth years), and by the end of the sixth year, recertify by successfully completing either the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Examination (PANRE) or Pathway II. Please note: The last administration of Pathway II will be held in 2010 and therefore, only PAs that will be in their fifth or sixth year by 2010 will be eligible for this option. All states require passage of the PANCE for state licensure. Forty-three states have provisions for new graduates to practice prior to passage of PANCE.
