Please..Please..Please HELP?

Question

Well i have always wanted to be a doctor and now when it came time to decide i have changed my mind. The closest thing that i can find to becoming a doctor is becoming a Physician Assistant (PA). Do you think that this is a good job..i know for a fact that it is a rising career choice. I mean it only takes 6 years an i'll be almost like a doctor without all the responsibilities and it will take less time. Another great thing is that if i want then latter on i can continue my education and go to med school. What i need is if you can give me any info about how to become a physician assistant in the state of NJ or NY can you please Help me. What type of education do i need...and just plain how do i become one..where to begin???Thank YOU!!!! I will choose a best answer.

Answer 1

I think you need to take a step back in time and remember the reasons why you wanted to become a doctor, why for your entire life thats what you wanted, ask yourself what it was that made you change your mind so suddenly?

You say that being a PA is a 6 year course, isn't a doctors course only 7? Whats 1 year out the rest of your life, wouldn't you rather know you DEFINENTLY dont want to be a doctor by becoming one first? At least you can become a PA afterwards because your already one as a doctor anyway?

Wouldnt you rather know than not and end up always wondering what if?

Answer 2

PAs are almost as good as doctors and they still make good money. go for it.

http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/j2ee/index.jsp has a low cost program

Answer 3

Probably the closest you can get to being a doctor but not acutally BEING a doctor would be Nurse Practitioner. Becoming a PA usually only takes TWO years. Physician assistants (PAs) practice medicine under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. They should not be confused with Medical assistants, who perform routine clinical and clerical tasks. (Medical assistants are discussed elsewhere in the Handbook.) PAs are formally trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services, as delegated by a physician. Working as members of the health care team, they take medical histories, examine and treat patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and x rays, and make diagnoses. They also treat minor injuries, by suturing, splinting, and casting. PAs record progress notes, instruct and counsel patients, and order or carry out therapy. In 48 States and the District of Columbia, physician assistants may prescribe some medications. In some establishments, a PA is responsible for managerial duties, such as ordering medical supplies or equipment and supervising technicians and assistants.

Physician assistants work under the supervision of a physician. However, PAs may be the principal care providers in rural or inner city clinics where a physician is present for only one or two days each week. In such cases, the PA confers with the supervising physician and other medical professionals as needed and as required by law. PAs also may make house calls or go to hospitals and nursing care facilities to check on patients, after which they report back to the physician.

The duties of physician assistants are determined by the supervising physician and by State law. Aspiring PAs should investigate the laws and regulations in the States in which they wish to practice.

Many PAs work in primary care specialties, such as general internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine. Other specialty areas include general and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, orthopedics, and geriatrics. PAs specializing in surgery provide preoperative and postoperative care and may work as first or second assistants during major surgery.

A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse who has completed specific advanced nursing education (generally a master's degree) and training in the diagnosis and management of common as well as complex medical conditions. Nurse Practitioners provide a broad range of health care services.

In some states, NPs admit and follow their patients in hospitals. Some NPs work in emergency rooms evaluating, diagnosing and treating patients with lacerations and fractures. In a few states, NPs are allowed to open their own clinics and offices.

In the US, NPs are licensed by the state in which they practice, and have a national board certification (usually through the American Nurses Credentialing Center or American Academy of Nurse Practitioners). Nurse Practitioners can be trained and nationally certified in areas of pediatrics, geriatrics, women's health, psychiatry and acute care.

Nurse Practitioners treat both acute and chronic conditions through comprehensive history taking, physical exams, physical therapy, ordering tests and therapies for patients, within their scope of practice. An NP can serve as a patient's "point of entry" health care provider, and see patients of all ages depending on their designated scope of practice. The core philosophy of the field is individualized care. Nurse Practitioners focus on patients' conditions as well as the effects of illness on the lives of the patients and their families.