Argumentative Reasons to Start a Career of a Physician Assistant

Being a Senior in High School is always difficult for more than one reason. Most of the problem is getting into college, but another large issue is deciding what to major in that is interesting but also provides job opportunity. Becoming a Physician’s Assistant (PA) seems to be the best combination of these two ideas. This choice was decided upon after considering a number of factors which include the many choices as to what kind of field one would like to go into (200 + programs now available), the continuous growth of knowledge in medicine, and lastly the financial compensation of being a PA. With the shortage of PAs in the medical field, studying to become one appears to be a beneficial option. Although being around those who are constantly sick as well as seeing elders and children suffer can be difficult for anyone, this path seems to be one that would provide both financial, and spiritual success. 

These professionals are formally trained to examine patients, diagnose injuries and illnesses, and provide treatment, but do so under the supervision of a doctor. A PA is a graduate of an accredited Physician’s Assistant educational program that is nationally certified and state-licensed to practice medicine with the supervision of a physician. The core tasks of those in this role include acquiring medical histories and examining patients. Although different fields require different skill sets, the required courses involve Biology, Chemistry, Math, and English and at the very minimum a two-year degree. However, depending on what health care field one is interested in entering, some programs might require 200 hours, while others can require up to 2,000 hours. There are currently 190 accredited PA training programs in the U.S. seeing 95,000 certified PAs in the U.S at the end of 2013, and jobs are expected to grow another 30% within the next 10 years. While PA’s were mostly male in the early days of the profession, two-thirds of certified PA’s today are female. Forbes Magazine rated Physician’s Assistant Studies the best master’s degree for jobs in 2014. U.S. News and World Report has ranked the PA profession very highly in terms of employment, salary, and job satisfaction. PAs tend to see younger patients and different caseloads as compared to doctors and require supervision. Studies of costs provide mixed results, so it is imperative to choose the program that has the best value. Another concern is the confidence of patients; it has been seen that acceptability by patients and potential patients are consistently found to be high, and studies of appropriateness have mostly been reported as positive. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and in virtually all states can write prescriptions. Within the physician-PA relationship, PAs exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. 

One of the most alluring things about becoming a PA is being able to decide in which capacity one would like to work. That is to say, one can enter the fields of Pediatrics, Cardiology, Orthopedics, etc. Pediatrics, Cardiology, and Orthopedics are the choices that appear to be the most interesting, but Pediatrics seems most enticing because children are fun to work with, and it takes someone who is good with children to work with them in that capacity. As a Pediatric Physician's Assistant, one would be able to work in clinics, community doctors offices, and provide routine check-ups and vaccinations for children. In more detail for an office setting, PAs still have to diagnose and treat minor acute illnesses, provide medical follow-ups with patients, and take calls. In more detail with a hospital setting, PAs take a patient’s health history, perform medical examinations, assist in surgery, and oversee the patient's condition over time. The following include some of the topics that PAs study in college. Pre- and Postoperative management, medication administration, adolescent medicine, wound and burn care, and knowing how to do a proper physical examination. Cardiology is another large area of interest because the heart is such an incredible and vital organ. This field includes Physician’s Assistants who have received didactic and clinical training to function in all areas of cardiovascular care. As a Cardiologist, any worker would perform patient histories and physical exams, interpret laboratory and diagnostic tests, prescribe medications and develop treatment plans, supervise and interpret stress tests, etc. Cardiology is much more complex than Pediatrics for several reasons. The heart is such a complex organ and takes a lot of knowledge to acquire all the knowledge necessary to become a Cardiologist. This field is definitely also intriguing because it is specialized to a specific organ system as compared to a more generalized arena such as Pediatrics which would include sending patients to specialists once a particular issue has been identified. Lastly, Orthopedics is a route to be considered within the realms of Physician’s Assistanceship because it is the most hands-on with patients. Orthopedics by definition is the branch of medicine dealing with the correction of deformities of bones or muscles. Being a Physician Assistant in Orthopedics one would have to Interpret laboratory and diagnostic procedures to establish a working diagnosis, ordering and perform diagnostic procedures and studies, such as: EMG, Electrocardiogram (the process of recording the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time using electrodes placed over the skin), X-ray examination, incision and drainage, etc. For these three different fields, there are still so many different responsibilities one would have to take on, as the health of all a PA’s patients is in his or her hands and some might find that to be completely petrifying. 

However, whenever someone goes to the doctor, that is the pressure accepted by the physician or PA being seen. It is often taken for granted, but whenever someone is sick he or she puts his or her life into somebody else's hands, namely a doctor. Becoming any kind of doctor not only requires have a passion for the craft, but also includes the development of relationships with patients. This is particularly true of younger patients, as gaining the trust of a child is significantly more challenging than gaining an adult’s as a medical professional. Another reason that should be considered when deciding to become a PA, but not the biggest, is the financial end. Many people choose jobs based off of the quantity of payment. What many don't realize is that having a job with a high income may provide luxuries such as a dream house might be nice, but at the end of the day, one has to consider the ramifications. Sometimes the jobs that pay the most come with a high price tag on one’s own well being. However, directly out of college PAs make a decent amount of money and can certainly earn a fair living. Even though most people want to get into a specific field just for the money, success can only be found if one truly enjoys their work. Financial stability is a priority for all; building a family and living comfortably is the American dream, but it isn’t the only important aspect of success. Becoming a PA in the United States is such an incredible opportunity in part because of the amazing health care system found here that isn’t found in other places around the world. Being part of that is an honor and a privilege for any individual, so success is almost assured once the goal has been reached. The median annual wage for physician assistants is $101,480 which is by no means a small amount of money. While the most important thing in the job is the passion one has for it, despite the fact that many think it's about the money. Raising a family is hard enough, but with a job that pays well, it can be a little bit easier, so the balance in this field is better than many. 

The study of medicine is extremely important in the United States, while some may argue because there are many misdiagnoses. What people don't realize is many different illnesses have similar symptoms which is why doctors request a follow up on the patient to see their progress and caution them not to seek out answers from resources such as WebMD. Medicine is hard, in part because there’s simply more of it than one could learn in a countless number of years. Any doctor will still be learning when they get out of school, as continuing education is an absolute must. Medicine is always changing and people are constantly questioning the reliability of the field and the medications thereof. The medical field consists of many different jobs, some of which include physical therapists, surgeons, pediatricians, nurses, and anesthesiologists. All of these jobs are necessary to help people when they are sick, injured, or recovering. Being a surgeon is one of the toughest jobs in medicine, and requires years of study and practice for one to achieve such an end. People are taking a stand against medicine with the “ Anti-Vaccine Movement”. This movement has a long history, beginning in France in 1763 and continuing through to today; developed by Mark Kirkpatrick, a freelance health journalist, and dietitian. In the early days of immunization, distrust in vaccines was well-warranted, but medical knowledge and standards have progressed greatly since those times and today’s vaccinations are a safe and effective tool in battling global health issues such as measles, mumps, and rubella (to name a few). With disease outbreaks and people not getting vaccines, many preventable deaths are occurring especially amongst children. Being a PA means not only being a medical professional, but also an advocate for health safety practices to others. Health workforce supply-and-demand models are constructed using many variables, with some models including services provided by an assortment of differing nonphysician clinicians. However, the omission or inaccurate classification of PAs in much of the U.S. health care access and workforce literature paints an incomplete picture, and it is important to consider the contributions PAs have made and will continue to make in addressing the nation’s health care needs. 

In conclusion, there are many reasons to become a Physician's assistant such as obtaining knowledge of medicine, the different fields of medicine, and the financial stability that becoming a PA provides. While financial stability is not the most important thing, having a job that can provide a comfortable life can make things a little bit smoother. Love is also a very important factor in any job, as a distaste for one’s career can lead to dissatisfaction in his or her life. Knowing that prior to going into college and knowing there are so many choices makes deciding on one much less of an ominous task.