Welcome to The PA Zone’s first Blog!

These blogs and articles posted weekly will provide insight to the PA profession and the journey through the process of becoming a Physician Assistant. I will also be sharing my own experiences that helped me get accepted and survive PA school. The PA Zone is for all aspiring PA students, current PA students and practicing PAs to have a relatable platform. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did while creating it!

The PA Profession is fairly new in comparison to many other healthcare professions. The Profession began in the mid 1960’s when there was a recognized shortage of primary care physicians. To increase the delivery of quality medical care, the first class of PA students were being trained in 1965 at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina (will discuss in detail in a later Blog).  What makes it so exciting is the general medicine training and the ability to transition into any healthcare specialty right after passing the boards.  What makes it so much more exciting is its growth! – According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the employment for Physician Assistants is projected to grow “another 31 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.” It’s no doubt that the demand for healthcare is rising and PAs will be there to fill the requirements.

To introduce you the profession, it’s only warranted that we discuss “What is a PA?”

A Physician Assistant is a licensed health professional that can perform physical examinations, diagnose, interpret, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, counsel patients and perform procedures in many healthcare settings. They are advanced practice providers (APP) that are an integral part of the healthcare system. Often they work independently but require the supervision of a licensed physician.

PAs have medical model education in intense 2-3 year programs accredited by the ARC-PA (Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant) and nearly all award a Masters Degree. Education consists of basic medical and behavioral sciences such as anatomy & physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology and physical diagnoses during the didactic phase. Clinical year includes multiple rotations averaging >2000 hours with emphasis on family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, emergency medicine, obgyn, general surgery and internal medicine. All rotations require end of rotation exams which must be passed. After successfully completing the Didactic and Clinical phase, PAs sit for the PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam). But it doesn’t end there, PAs are continuously learning! PAs are required to complete 100 CME credits every 2 years.

I welcome you to your zone, The PA Zone. On this site, you will find all the information you need from pre-PA to your journey to become a certified physician assistant. Browse through the different zones, the services page and feel free to send a message with any topics you wanted more insight on. P.S : Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog to stay up to date with the latest posts!