Physician Assistant Essay

Pebbles Lafleur05/15/2018HS115My Scope of PracticeAs many people know, there are steps into making into the medical field world. There are still certifications and levels to have under your belt to move up. Many people start as a CNA, then LPN, RN and so on and so forth. However, currently, I am enrolled in school to become a CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) and hopefully adding phlebotomy under my belt as well. Nevertheless, before all this to happen, there is a process to go by and complete it accordingly.To be competitive in the medical field marketplace, all medical assistants have to be certified through the AMA. The AAMA (American Association of Medical Assistants) is the association that is responsible for producing the

One of them is the Physician Assistant profession. PAs are filling in the roles once filled by physicians. This is mostly seen in the rural parts of the United States and in rural parts of other countries. According to Hooker, Cawley, and Everett (2011), a component of health-care reform in 2010 identified physician assistants (PAs) were needed to help reduce the expected doctor shortage. The way PAs are slowing down the physician shortage is by the role they play in healthcare.

Both Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Physician Assistants (PA) are two very important professionals in the field of medicine. They both work under the supervision of a licensed physician, and their functions are also quite similar with very minor differences between the two. Due to such similarities it has become very difficult for the general population to differentiate between these two professionals (Nurse Practitioner School, 2015). The nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have gone on to earn a master's or doctorate degree in a specialty area of nursing, such as family practice, adult practice, pediatrics or women's health. Their duties include diagnosing and treating acute and chronic conditions, prescribing medication,

At the practice level, physician assistants have taken over many duties once handled by doctors. Physician assistants working in family medicine receive about half the salary of doctors, and those working in areas of specialties receive about one-third as much as doctors in the same specialty (Cunningham). Physician assistants are included in health care delivery system in many different settings and specialties. They represent10 percent of the primary care labor force and 9 percent of physicians in community health centers (AHRQ Stats No.3). Furthermore, most physician assistants work in a variety of specialties, including oncology, dermatology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, and behavioral health (Doven, Christian 2).

“Dedicated to enhancing professional and personal growth for allied health professionals, American Medical Technologists (AMT) awards the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential to qualifying individuals.

This has allowed me to experience what each person’s role in a hospital setting truly is. Both physician assistants and nurse practitioners share a lot of the same responsibilities as a physician, although nurse practitioners are given the flexibility of choosing which specialty they are interested in pursuing. This autonomy is what drew me into this position, which includes a lot of independence within the practice. Over the years that I have worked in healthcare, I have realized that patients need a health care provider who will be an advocate for them, and they also need someone who will truly listen to them in order to help improve their quality of health. The roles and job responsibilities of a nurse practitioner have caught my attention and therefore have made me want to pursue this career

While the demand of healthcare need increasers the United States facing a physician shortage. In recent years the number of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) has significantly increased and they are taking the part in providing healthcare cervices to the majority of patients. I believe nurse practitioners and physician assistants can practice independently from doctors and be free of oversight. Expanding the scope of NPs and PAs is essential to overcome the healthcare crisis we are facing; it will increase patient satisfaction and stabilizing the healthcare economy.

There are more than 100,000 certified Physician Assistants practicing medicine in the United States. PA’s have a very high starting salary and get to do a lot of hands on work. After just two years of schooling you can come out making an average of $94,000. Being stuck at a desk all day is dreadful, and physician assistants get to choose what they want their work environment to look like. Job opportunities for a PA are expected to go up by more than thirty percent between 2010 and 2020. When you are a PA you have a huge amount of flexibility to choose your specialization. I know that a PA is the best career choice for me because i love to work with people and enjoy social interaction, i love to have flexibility to be able to spend time with my family, and there are very good benefits and there will always be job openings.

Being a medical assistant can be a satisfying career choice for those who take pleasure in helping others, have superior communication skills, and are able to multitask. Medical assistants are constantly on the look out to help patients and health professionals. Affection and compassion are personality traits for a career as a medical assistant. Being a medical assistant is a phenomenal career and a rewarding one too.

The job outlook for a medical assistant is that employment for medical assistants is projected to increase 31% by 2020. The baby-boom, the increase of people getting sick, the major medical problems that people are developing there is going to be more clinics opening, group practices, etc. The result is that more medical assistants are going to be needed (http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm#tab-6).

While my healthcare career has posed its share of challenges over the past seven years, each obstacle has revealed new opportunities for growth and connection. Unfortunately, my time with patients ends the moment that I perform their exam and obtain the images that providers request. I cannot discuss patients’ imaging results with them, determine what other tests need to be ordered, explain diagnoses and treatments, or even develop a stronger rapport with anyone I have the privilege of providing care for. All of these duties are those which I have seen carried out by physician assistants (PAs) in practice in many different specialties. A career as a PA would fill this void and enable me to expand my scope of practice, deepen my medical knowledge, and play a more direct role in diagnosing and treating patients.

The medical field is expanding ever so rapidly in today’s society. In the field of Physical Therapy one needs to have the understanding of how the human body works and the injuries one body could sustain. I have chosen a career to help others to battle back from life-changing injuries or surgeries. I will take the first step of joining the medical field by obtaining a physical therapist associates degree. I will become a Physical Therapist Assistant.

A medical assistant is important to the physicians and nursing staff. Doctors and nursing staff have to be able to concentrate on the medical problems and concerns of their patients. These assistants keep the physicians on schedule, the healthcare facility on course, the workflow smooth and running, the patients informed, and the customers comfortable and safe. Basically, they keep the medical office together. Physicians and surgeons have their own long list of chores and responsibilities to maintain. They just do not have enough time to handle all of the chores that are given to the medical assistants. Without them, things would be really chaotic and frustrating. Physicians as well as nurses would have way too much on their plate to manage.

I have had the opportunity to work with many health professionals, but my experience with PAs has solidified my path to becoming a PA. Devoting over 200 hours to shadow PAs of various specialties had allowed me to learn about pulmonary diseases and read CT scans in pulmonary, watch in awe at an ingrown toenail removal in urgent care, and observe patience and individual care in pediatrics. Although I was at the clinics for observation, I eagerly wanted to assist the PAs and care for the patients. I was fully immersed in the topics that were taught to me and found myself lusting for the knowledge and skills to become a PA.

This revolution in health care has resulted in an increased demand of primary care physicians due to the creation of more job openings for health care professionals. A sudden surge in demand for health care professionals such as nurse practitioner and physician assistants has arisen in the past few years. According to “Advanced Practice Trends 2012-2013”, a report published by Jackson Healthcare, job growth in nursing is expected to increase by 27% (Jackson Healthcare). While this may be beneficial for aspiring nurses and physician assistants, it may contribute to the primary care physician shortage as the supply of physicians will not be able to meet these demands. In an effort to reduce this shortage, the Health Resources and Services Administration provided over $75 million to the training of nurse practitioners and physician assistants. This is meant to encourage more medical students to specialize in primary care because of the rise in well-trained nurses. As expected, the AAMC addressed this issue in their 2015 report “The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections Through 2025”. After extensive research and data collection, the AAMC reported that demand for physicians would decrease by a large margin if nurse practitioners and physician assistants “play a larger role in patient care”. While the expansion of health care may