7 Reasons I Chose to become a Physician Assistant

Why did I choose to become a Physician Assistant? This is a question I was asked often in PA school. The PA career is on the rise, becoming increasingly popular with young women like myself. However, there are still many people who do not know about it and with this post (and blog) one of my goals is to give a glimpse into the PA career and encourage those interested in medicine to consider this awesome option. So back to the question… Why a PA?

Personally, I chose the career for many reasons, but I am going to list 7 for you today:

1) To serve those in need

I started dreaming in high school of beginning a social justice type business through fashion. However, as I started college, I became more interested in medicine and particularly interested in underserved communities. I had been on a couple international mission trips and my eyes were opened to how vital a need healthcare is locally and globally. It became clear to me that although I loved fashion, healthcare is a universal and vital need and I could be a part of the solution to the vast healthcare shortage. Not only this, but I saw medicine as a way to personally touch and serve people as I met this vital need for them.

 

2) Short, efficient schooling with minimal debt

Even though I wanted to go into medicine, I did not want to go to medical school for 7+ years after undergrad. My thought process was, if there are people in underserved areas who need healthcare, I am eager to be done with school and start working to meet this need as soon as possible. Another part of the equation was the debt factor, my brother is a physician so I knew first hand the great debt physicians can take on during their training. PA programs are an average of 2 years duration, so this cuts down on the amount of debt dramatically.

 

3) Flexibility in specialties

Another attractive quality to me about the PA profession is the flexibility in specialties. I like change and the ability that PAs have to change specialties gives freedom and flexibility to change things up at any time during the career, which is pretty awesome! The way this is possible is because most programs are general medicine based. We get a solid education in primary care and general medicine, with exposure in clinical rotations to various specialties (pediatrics, OB/GYN, surgery, orthopedics, dermatology, hospital medicine). PAs are trained to be highly flexible and teachable, therefore as we switch specialties (if one chooses to) our core skills should allow us to learn a new specialty quickly, and help the doctor see more patients than he or she would on their own.

 

4) Job Security

PAs are needed! The US bureau of labor & statistics states the following on their website “Employment of physician assistants is projected to grow 30 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. As demand for healthcare services grows, physician assistants will be needed to provide care to patients.”

 

5) Opportunity for Global Work

As I mentioned, I have an interest in global health care. I have been on trips to Central America (Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala), China, and Uganda — and in all places it was evident the need for health care. Additionally, I have an ever increasing interest in different countries, cultures and travel. So put these things together, and global medicine has become my heart! There are opportunities to serve all over the world in medical missions with the proper medical training. This is one of the main factors when it came down to decision time.

 

6) Competitive Pay

PAs get paid well… Again from the USB of L&S The median annual wage for physician assistants was $98,180 in May 2015.

 

7) Flexible Schedule with room for other pursuits/passions/hobbies

Lastly, I have a billion different interests. I love being creative, investing in relationships, I am helping with a church plant, I want to be a mom, and am a wife to a husband I want to give as much time as I can to! Being a PA gives me flexibility in my schedule to do many of the things (besides work) that are important to me in my life.

 

Opportunity for service, minimal debt, job security, global opportunities, competitive pay, and flexibility are seven of the reasons I chose the Physician Assistant profession.  I want to know… As a patient, have you ever been seen by a PA? What did you think? For those in the PA profession or in PA school, what are the reasons you chose this career path? For those of you in other professions, why did you choose your career?