The Physician Assistant
...e on call. P.A.s and clinics usually work forty-hour weeks. Physician assistants held about 58,000 jobs in 2000. The number of jobs is greater than the existing number of assistants because many hold more than one job. For example, some assistants work with a supervising physician, but also work in another practice, clinic, or hospital. Almost 56 percent of jobs for physician assistants were in the offices and clinics of physicians, dentists, or other health professionals. About 32 percent were in hospitals, the rest were mostly in public health clinics, temporary heath clinics, schools, prisons, home-healthcare organizations, and in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. About one-third of P.A.s provided healthcare to patients in communities with fewer than 50,000 residents. Unlike regular physicians, a physicians assistant has the luxury of not having to pay Mal-practice Insurance. Physician assistant education includes classroom instruction in biochemistry, pathology, human anatomy, physiology, microbiology, clinical pharmacology, clinical medicine, geriatric and home healthcare, disease prevention, and medical ethics. Students obtain supervised clinical training in several areas, including primary care medicine, impatient medicine, psychiatry, and pediatrics. Sometimes, P.A. students serve in one or more of these areas under the supervision of a physician who is seeking to hire a P.A. After serving in these different areas permanent employment may be obtained. Admission requirements for P.A. school vary, but many programs require two years of college and some work experience in the healthcare field. Students should take courses in biology, English, chemistry, math, psychology, and social sciences. P.A. programs usually last at least two years. Most programs are in schools of allied health, academic health centers, medical schools, or four-year colleges; a few are in community colleges, the military, or hospitals. Employment opportunities are expected to be good for physician assistants, particularly in areas or settings that have difficulty attracting physicians, such as rural and inner city clinics. Physicians and institutions are expected to employ more P.A.s to provide primary care and to assist with medical and surgical procedures because P.A.s are cost-effective and procedures. Telemedicine will also expand the use of physician assistants. Besides the traditional office-based setting, P.A.s should find a growing number of jobs in institutional settings such as hospitals, academic medical centers, public clinics, and prisons. Additional P.A.s may be needed to strengthen me...