Why Do YOU Want to Be A PA?

You may be considering the PA journey or have already decided to become a PA. Now the important question ahead of you is why?

While this may appear to be an obvious or basic question, this is one of the most important considerations on your career choice. Here are some ideas to ponder to make sure you are setting yourself up for success.

Can you clearly identify the role of a PA?

PAs can treat, diagnose, and interpret while also prescribing medication and performing procedures similarly to many other healthcare providers. A main area we see highlighted by many choosing our profession is the concept of our flexibility and adaptability. What we mean by this is that PA school focuses on a general education allowing us to work in most settings whether that be inpatient, outpatient, online, family medicine, surgery, and more. With this we can switch between specialties throughout our careers. Additionally, much of our learning comes while in the workforce and our schooling will not cover everything we need to know. While many see this as a benefit, this also means that our education does not train us to be experts in one specific area which is one of the many reasons PAs work in conjunction with a supervising physician. These concepts may resonate with many, but the most important question is does the PA role speak to you? Also, can you explain why these characteristics of being a PA are important to you specifically? We find many pre-PAs to state they like the flexibility of the PA role and the ability to work in various specialties to be a major reason they are drawn to being a PA. However, it is important to go one step beyond this and really explain why this is important for you specifically.  

Scope of Practice

Currently as a PA, all of us must work in conjunction and partnership with a supervising physician. While our education centers around the medical model allowing us to align with a physician’s training beautifully, our condensed schooling and lack of expertise in one specific area upon graduation does not allow us to be fully independent practitioners. Therefore, our breadth of work is limited or expanded based on the credentialing and abilities of our supervising physician. Let me provide an example to clarify. For instance, in PA school we learn many procedures ranging from placing a central line to suturing a wound. While all PAs graduate with remarkable skills, we are only allowed to use these skills in the workplace if our supervising physician can also perform these and/or is certified in these areas. However, with that being said, there are many positions in the workforce that allow you to use every single skill you learned in PA school. You just need to find the job that fits the scope of work you want to do. Additionally, every state possesses different rules around the scope of practice for PAs including their prescribing abilities. We would encourage you to look at the scope of practice in various states throughout the country to get a sense of this. 

Lastly, this scope of practice can limit a PA’s ability to own his or her own business depending on the state. If this is something you want to do, take a look at what your state allows.

At the end of the day, what is important is that you are comfortable with your future role in this capacity.

MD vs PA vs NP.

Do you have clarity around why you want to be a PA and not a doctor or Nurse Practitioner? Here are some considerations…

MD vs PA:

• The PA educational model is very similar to that of the traditional medical schools. IN contrast, As a doctor you become an expert in a specific area and can be an independent practitioner. As a PA, you must work in a partnership and your education is much more general. While many PAs have their own independent patients, this is not always the case. Do you thrive working on a team or do you prefer to work independently? Do you prefer a general education, or do you really want to focus on one specific area that you love?
• In many settings, the MD will be working with the higher acuity patients as compared to PAs. While this is not always the case, it can be, and would you be okay with this? 
• Some people like the prestige of being a doctor. Is this important to you?
• Salaries are very different for the professions. Is this important to you?

PA vs NP

• The Nurse Practitioner model varies greatly from that of the PA. Does one model speak to you more than the other? Do you understand the differences?
• In some states NPs can work nearly independently. PAs cannot do this currently.
• As an NP, you choose a specific route of study and are not trained as a generalist.
• There are some specialties that tend to cater towards hiring NPs over PAs and vice versa.
• Do you LOVE the idea of doing procedures? As a generality, the PA model more heavily focuses on procedures.

Sometimes people finish medical, PA, or NP school and wish they had pursued another route. It is important to become clear of the differences and similarities now and know what choice you want to make. 

Where do PAs work? 

We work everywhere! We are not limited to hospitals, outpatient settings, or anywhere else. Our profession is even acknowledged in many other countries throughout the world. You can see PAs anywhere from pediatrics, family medicine, Intensive Care Units, surgery, aesthetics, and beyond. Please make sure you are well versed in the full breadth of work that can be done as a PA. The possibilities are truly endless. However, if there is something you are very interested in, see if PAs are active in that field. With that being said, there are some specialties that lean towards hiring PAs vs NPs. Make sure you research this. 

Do you know the origin of the PA profession?

The PA profession origin is unique and one that we are proud of. Please make sure to read about how Dr. Eugene Stead created the opportunity for us all to become PAs and serve our communities. The American Association of Physician Assistants provides information on their website at https://www.aapa.org/about/history/. Here are a few more resources that look in depth at the profession from PA Hx (https://pahx.org/timeline/) and Circulating Now that we encourage you read as well (https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2016/11/15/the-birth-of-the-physician-assistant/).

Other Things to consider

• Speak to people in the healthcare field and ask them why they chose their profession as well as what they do and don’t like about their work. 
• Grab a Mentor at the American Association of Physician Assistants and ask current PAs about their jobs and what advice they may have for you.  (https://www.aapa.org/)
• Shadow doctors, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants
• Reach out to PA schools and see if any of their students would be willing to speak with you
• See if you can sit in on an academic class at any of these schools

Why do YOU want to be a PA? This question will come up over and over again from people around you, while writing your personal statement, and even in PA school interviews. Once you get into school, you will also need to fall back on this passion and desire to keep you motivated and on task throughout the many challenges put before you. Therefore, this seemingly benign question is imperative to be able to clearly and succinctly explain now and into the future. 

We hope this article gives you some new ideas to think about. If you need help clarifying or expressing why you ultimately desire to become a PA, do not hesitate to reach out to us. We look forward to sharing our love of what we do and hopefully having you as our colleague in the future.