How do I become physician's assistant? Do I have to go to school for that, or can I get on-site training?

Question

I live in the state of VT.

Answer 1

you need to go to school..

Answer 2

First, the disclaimer: medical licensing is regulated by state law, so it varies from state to state. After that, hospital privileges are determined by each hospital.

Second, it is not accurate to describe PAs as "a step above nursing", Nurses get qualifies through a hospital based program or get a BS in Nursing from a university. Some go on and get additional certifications. Nurse practitioners can write certain prescriptions.

It would be better to describe a PA as a step below a doctor because they go to a medical school and get an MS in Physician's Assistant Practice.

Answer 3

Yes. You must go to school. While PA's go through a "mini residency" program, Nurse Practitioners do not. Most PA's by default do not have a clinical background which is why they go through the clinical aspect and NP's by nature are required to be RN's first so they have the clinical background already. Both PA's and NP's are both termed, "Mid-Level providers". They fall just below a physician and can specialize in certain areas just like a physician can (i.e. Family Practice, Peds, Psych, Derm, etc).

Answer 4

Yes you have to go to school. This is a step above nursing. PA's can write prescriptions while nurses cannot. They can treat minor problems and order tests.

You can check with a nursing or medical school in your area to find out exactly what the schooling requirements are.