Physician Assistant

How long does it take to become a physician assistant? If you’re wondering how long your overall PA journey will take, there are a few variables to consider first. The pathway to becoming a PA varies depending on where you are in your career and your educational background. Here’s an overview of how long PA read more…

For many pre-PA students, the first step of the application process is deciding your top programs. As you start to explore PA schools, you feel your chest tighten and pulse quicken as you examine the statistics. How do you know if your application is competitive for your top programs? Should you factor in acceptance rates read more…

If you’re anything like us, you most likely signed up for the PANRE-LA hoping for a less stressful process that would result in a passing score. The attractiveness of an exam that’s open book with testing times five-times longer than a typical recertification exam sounded like a win!  While it certainly can be, at the read more…

Do you love working with kids? Are you the “fun uncle” or “fun aunt” in your family? Do you know all the lyrics to “We Don’t Talk About Bruno?”  If you answered yes to any of these questions, a career as a pediatric physician assistant (PA) may be for you! To help you decide, we’ll read more…

Are you thinking about becoming a travel physician assistant (PA), but wonder if it’s the right move for you? If so, you’re not alone. It’s normal to have questions about this rewarding (yet challenging) career path. In this post, we’ll going to review what you need to know, including the great financial benefits that come read more…

Early mornings. Long days. Back pain from holding a retractor for hours. Your preceptor pimping you on topics you aren’t prepared to answer. No, seriously. I was once pimped on geography after spending hours reviewing the ins and outs of a parathyroidectomy.  There’s a lot that you can’t fully prepare for during your general surgery read more…

According to Google, some of the most common questions people have about physician assistants (PAs) are the following:  “Is a physician assistant a doctor?”“Can a physician assistant prescribe medication?” “What are physician assistants not allowed to do?” As someone who has been practicing as a PA for almost three years now (and in graduate school for read more…

When I’m asked what’s on the PANCE blueprint, I’m reminded of a catchphrase my program faculty used when I was in PA school. Any student in our program could recite “reading is fundamental” and know exactly which of our faculty members you were talking about. The thing is, they were right. Reading is fundamental. And read more…

If you’re a pre-PA student, it can be a bit overwhelming keeping track of what you need for PA school on top of your other undergraduate requirements! While there can be some variation among PA schools as to what they expect from applicants, there are some PA school requirements that are nearly universal that you read more…

Are you dreaming of becoming a physician assistant (PA), but worried about the hours? Fear not! This comprehensive guide will walk you through different PA schedules, explore how physician assistant hours vary across specialties, and provide tips for achieving that elusive work-life balance. What kind of hours do PAs typically work? Most PAs work full-time, read more…

When you sign up to take the PANCE, of course the goal is to pass it on the first try! Still, if you’re anything like me and your nerves are high leading up to your exam, you may find yourself having anxious thoughts like, “What if I don’t pass on the first try? What would read more…

One of the best perks of the PA profession is the diversity of career paths you can take after graduation. It’s so interesting looking back and seeing where all my classmates ended up! I have friends across the board of physician assistant specialties, which is especially helpful when looking for advice. With such variety of read more…

Congratulations, you’ve landed a PA job interview! It’s exciting, but you may also find yourself wondering what to expect during it. Whether you’re applying for your first PA job out of school, transitioning specialties, or moving locations in your same specialty, there are some predictable questions you can expect. By reviewing them ahead of time, read more…

If you regularly proclaim the benefits of petroleum jelly as a skin moisturizer and think it is superior to antibiotic ointment for wounds, becoming a dermatology physician assistant may be the right career choice for you! Of course, people get into the field for different reasons. My own interest in dermatology stems from a curiosity read more…

Congratulations! You’ve made it into your didactic year of PA school! Now, what should you expect? The didactic year of PA school is—in all honesty—something of a whirlwind. This is when you’ll learn the foundation of your medical knowledge, prepare for your clinical year and the PANCE, and ultimately the fundamental skills you’ll need to read more…

If you are a PA due to recertify in 2028, you now have multiple options for completing your NCCPA recertification. Before last year, we only had one option for PA recertification: the high-stakes PANRE recertification exam, taken every 9-10 years. Now, we have an additional, flexible option that began in 2023: the new PANRE-LA. So, read more…

So, you’re ready to apply to PA programs and are navigating your way through the application process. You’ve taken all of the right prerequisites, spent hours shadowing and working in health care, and sent out requests for references. Now comes what many consider the hardest part: writing your PA school personal statement. The personal statement read more…

If you asked 10 physician assistants about their day-to-day life, you would likely get 10 different answers. There is so much variety in this career! One thing that’s true for all PAs, however, is that their work life balance is completely dependent on their position. So, if you’re like many PAs who were attracted to read more…

While you’ve undoubtedly spent time researching the differences between being a physician assistant and an MD or DO, a commonly overlooked comparison is that of physician assistant vs nurse practitioner. Both are categorized as advanced practitioners, have similar timelines to degree completion, and allow for individual patient oversight with diagnostic and prescriptive authority. The major read more…

How much do physician assistants make? If you’re on the path to becoming a PA-C, there’s a good chance you’ve pondered this question. The short answer is that, according to the AAPA Salary Report, the median salary for a practicing PA in 2023 was $127,000. The long answer is that in order to understand the read more…