How to determine if the PA Career is right for you
Choosing the right career in the field of healthcare is a significant decision that can shape your professional journey and personal fulfillment. You may be exploring various paths and wondering if the physician assistant profession is the right fit for you.
It begins with assessing your interests and strengths, researching various healthcare professions, and selecting the educational pathway that aligns with your goals.
I. Picking a Career in Healthcare
Finding a fulfilling career in healthcare involves a journey of self-reflection, research, education, experience, networking, and ongoing growth.
By navigating this journey with dedication and a commitment to self-discovery, you can find a rewarding and fulfilling healthcare career that resonates with your passions and values.
a) Finding the “Right Career” in Healthcare for you
We recommended learning about various health care careers before deciding on your top 2-3 to explore in depth.
You can use a thoughtful and systematic approach, and help you in the process:
Self-Reflection: Take the time to reflect on your interests, values, and strengths. Consider what aspects of healthcare you are passionate about and what aligns with your personal values. Reflect on your skills, aptitudes, and preferences to identify potential healthcare careers that resonate with you.
Research Healthcare Careers: Conduct thorough research on various healthcare careers. Explore the roles, responsibilities, educational requirements, work settings, and potential career paths associated with each profession. Learn about the demands, challenges, and rewards of different healthcare occupations.
Evaluate Education and Training: Assess the educational pathway required for your desired healthcare careers. Research the academic programs, degrees, certifications, and licensing requirements specific to each profession. Consider the duration of the program, financial implications, and potential opportunities for specialization or advanced degrees in the future. Evaluate if you are willing and able to commit to the necessary education and training.
Gain Practical Experience: Seek opportunities to gain practical experience in healthcare settings. Shadow professionals in your areas of interest, volunteer, or work in healthcare-related roles. This hands-on experience will help you understand the realities of different healthcare careers, provide insight into day-to-day responsibilities, and confirm or redirect your interests.
Networking and Mentorship: Connect with professionals in the healthcare field through networking events, informational interviews, or mentorship programs. Engage in conversations with individuals working in careers of interest to gain firsthand insights, advice, and guidance. Networking can provide valuable connections, open doors to opportunities, and help you make informed decisions.
Consider Personal Preferences: Consider your personal preferences and lifestyle factors. Reflect on work-life balance, location preferences, work environment, and potential impact on your personal life. Evaluate if the demands and requirements of a particular healthcare career align with your overall well-being and long-term goals.
Continuous Learning and Growth: Recognize that healthcare is a continuously evolving field. Consider the opportunities for lifelong learning, professional development, and growth within different healthcare careers. Assess if a career provides avenues for advancement, specialization, research, leadership roles, or further education.
Seek guidance from career counselors, advisors, and professionals in the field to support your decision-making process.
Decision-Making and Action: Review the information you have gathered, reflect on your self-assessment, and prioritize your preferences and aspirations. Take time to weigh the pros and cons, considering factors such as your interests, values, lifestyle, education, and career goals. Once you have made a decision, take action by creating a plan to pursue the necessary education, training, or experience required for your chosen healthcare career.
b) Is PA the right career for me?
Prospective PA students should spend time and research into the PA profession, including reading around whAT PAs do, PA Scope of Practice, PA/MD supervisory relationship, PA education pathway, and PA earnings.
Doing this research is important to help you answer the following questions:
Will I have a fulfilling career as a PA?
If I become a PA, will I regret not becoming an MD? (or pharmacist, dentist, optometrist, physiotherapist, nurse, nurse practitioner, etc.?).
Will I be gainfully employed?
Will I experience ongoing personal and professional growth!
Keep in mind that benefits and drawbacks exist for ANY career you decide to pursue (whether thats MD, nursing, pharmacist, dentist, etc.), and PA is no exception.
c) Journal Exercise: Exploring the Fit for a Career as a PA
Take some time to reflect on the following questions and write your responses in your journal. This exercise will help you gain clarity and insight into whether pursuing a career as a physician assistant is the right path for you.
Interests and Passions:
What aspects of patient care, medical science, and healthcare delivery appeal to me the most?
Why do these areas resonate with me?
Research and Reflection:
Why do I want to be a PA and not a [insert a health care profession you are also contemplating?]
What are the responsibilities, roles, and scope of practice of PAs? How well do these align with my career expectations and goals?
How does the team-based approach, collaboration with physicians, and patient care aspects of the PA profession align with my interests and personal values?
Evaluation of Skills and Qualities:
What are my strengths in critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, empathy, adaptability, and attention to detail?
How do these attributes align with the skills necessary for the PA profession? Can I think of specific experiences or situations where I have demonstrated these skills?
Work-Life Balance Considerations:
What is my desired work-life balance?
How do the typical work hours, on-call responsibilities, and potential stress levels associated with the PA profession align with my personal lifestyle preferences and priorities?
Future Career Goals and Growth Opportunities:
What are my long-term career goals and aspirations?
How do the potential for career advancement, specialization, and opportunities for professional growth as a PA align with my ambitions and vision for my healthcare career?
Personal Values and Ethical Considerations:
What are my personal values and ethical considerations related to patient care?
How well do the ethical principles and values upheld by the PA profession align with my own?
Review your journal entry, reflect on the patterns and themes that emerge, and consider how they align with your interests, values, and personal aspirations. This exercise will provide you with valuable insights and help you make an informed decision about whether pursuing a career as a physician assistant is the right path for you
II. Career Profile: Physician Assistant
As a physician assistant, you'll play a vital role in the healthcare system, working alongside physicians and other healthcare professionals to deliver high-quality patient care. The PA profession is known for its collaborative nature, offering opportunities to work in a variety of medical specialties and healthcare settings.
However, it's essential to have a clear understanding of the profession's responsibilities, challenges, and rewards before committing to this career path.
a) Definition
A physician assistant is a highly trained medical professional who works under the supervision of physicians, providing comprehensive patient care. PAs are often described as physician extenders or collaborators, as they work closely with physicians to deliver healthcare services.
b) Responsibilities
Physician assistants perform a wide range of responsibilities, including conducting physical exams, reviewing medical histories, diagnosing and treating illnesses, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, prescribing medications, assisting in surgeries, and providing patient education and counseling.
They work collaboratively with supervising physicians and other healthcare professionals to develop treatment plans, monitor patients' progress, and ensure continuity of care.
c) Education Pathway
Becoming a physician assistant requires a combination of education, clinical training, and licensing.
Most PAs hold a Bachelor's degree in a science-related field as a prerequisite for admission into a Canadian PA program (which is either a Bachelor’s level of Master's Level in Canada).
PA school is 2 years:
first year being didactic classroom learning where you learn medical foundations, with exposure to patient care with clinical placements.
Second year is clinical rotations where you complete 4-12 weeks in different medical specialties.
Upon completion of PA school, new grads can then write the PA Entry to Practice Exam administered by the PA Certification Council of Canada (PACCC) to be become Canadian Certified Physician Assistants (CCPA).
d) Work Settings
PAs have the flexibility to work in various healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinics, surgical centers, emergency departments, and primary care practices.
They can specialize in areas such as family medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, orthopedics, dermatology, and many others.
The diverse work environments and medical specialties allow PAs to adapt their skills and expertise to cater to specific patient populations and healthcare needs.
e) Rewarding Aspects of being a PA
PAs have direct patient interaction, forging meaningful connections and positively impacting patients' lives. They play a pivotal role in improving access to care, particularly in underserved areas where healthcare providers may be limited.
Wide Range of Career Opportunities: PAs have the flexibility to work in various medical specialties and healthcare settings, such as primary care, emergency medicine, surgery, and more. This diversity of career options allows PAs to explore different areas of medicine and adapt their practice to match their interests and passions.
PAs practice medicine: The ability to diagnose and treat illnesses, assist in surgeries, and provide ongoing patient care brings a sense of fulfillment and purpose to PAs
PAs have lateral mobility: PAs have the ability to switch specialties/health care settings throughout their career without going back to school. For examplel you can start your career as a Family Medicine PA, and then ecide to switch to become an Emergency Medicine PA. Or you can work in 2 specialties at once (e.g. Working as an orthopaedic Surgery PA 3 days per week, then 2 days a week working as an ENT PA).
PAs learn in the medical model: PAs learn in the same medical model as physicians, which means they receive a comprehensive and rigorous education in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of medical conditions. PAs undergo a curriculum that covers medical sciences, clinical skills, and patient care, allowing them to acquire a depth of knowledge and skills comparable to that of physicians.
Faster Entry into Practice: PA education is 2 years, allowing for a quicker entry into practice, compared to
More affordable education: Less tuition costs for PA educationt can be seen as a financial advantage compared to the typically higher tuition fees associated with medical school.
Continuous Learning and Professional Growth: The healthcare field is constantly evolving, and as a PA, there are ample opportunities for continuous learning and professional development. PAs can pursue additional certifications, attend conferences, or engage in specialized training to enhance their knowledge and skills.
Job Stability and Demand: The demand for healthcare professionals, including PAs, remains high, offering job stability and potential employment opportunities. The growing healthcare needs of the population contribute to a favorable job market for PAs. At present there are more PA jobs than PAs to fill them.
Potential for Advancement: PAs have the potential to advance their careers and specialize in specific medical areas based on their interests and goals. They can pursue leadership roles, participate in research and academia/teaching.
f) Challenges of being a PA
The PA profession is relatively new in Canada, you will occasionally have to explain what a PA is to patients. This means explaining what a PA is. Well-established, older professions like nurses, doctors, dentists, and pharmacists don't have frequent conversations with patients explaining who they are and what we do.
As PAs continue to expand in Canada, this is a conversation that happens less and less. PAs can provide a quick introduction, and explanation of the role of the PA within the health care team and how they provide care for patients.
PAs do not practice across of all of Canada yet: This is a non-issue if you don't plan on practicing outside of Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick (Note: If you are an Occupational Health PA or Military PA, you can essentially practise in all provinces, but this is different in the public health care system).
PAs are autonomous, but not independent practitioners: PAs work in collaboration with a supervising physician and are not independent providers who start their own practices. For some individuals this may be seen as either a pro or con.
Anne’s Note: For me this is a pro, but can be a 'con' to others. So yes as a PA I do not own my practice, I do not call all of the shots, or perform the surgery myself, however I do not have the desire to run my own practice (there is a "business side" of running your own medical practice that is not often talked about, but is a big part of being a physician, have that much independence, and lose that flexibility). PAs can be quite autonomous once the experience, and work we do can evolve to indirect supervision. To me, a supervising MD is like a "mentor" for life
You are not a physician: You are not a doctor: This "con" is for those that are considering PA vs. MD. And "You are not a doctor" can be interpreted as a pro or a con. If you can't answer "Why I want to be a PA and not an MD" without feeling you're doing yourself an injustice by not pursuing MD, then this is probably a sign PA is not a good fit. No hard feelings either, you have to do what's right for you!
Anne’s Note:
I remember asking myself early on "If I had the aptitude to become a PA, should I have instead pursued MD?". Now 10 years into practice, it's a confident "Yes! I'm so glad I pursued PA!". It's consistent with MY goals, MY values, and I am always someone that was happier doing things non-traditionally. I recognize this answer is different for everyone! It's important to figure this out NOW before you start going down the road of pursuing your future health career.
On Earnings: "PAs make big bucks, but not the biggest" PAs don't make as much money as physicians, although we do perform very similar work. I appreciate having had less debt (paid off within 2 years of graduating, compared to one of my supervising physicians who is still paying of his debt well into his mid-40's). You can also supplement your income through working in another specialty simultaneously (e.g. Mon-Fri as a Family Medicine PA, Sat. in Occupational Health PA), teaching, research, consulting, travel medicine or starting your own side business that may or may not be related to medicine.
Final notes
Embarking on any healthcare career is a significant decision that requires thoughtful consideration and self-reflection. The journey of finding the right path involves exploring your interests, researching healthcare professions, evaluating education and training requirements, gaining practical experience, and considering personal preferences.
It’s important to align your career choice with your passions, values, strengths, and long-term goals. By taking the time to assess these factors, seeking guidance, and making informed decisions, you can find a healthcare career that brings fulfillment, allows you to make a positive impact, and aligns with your aspirations.
Remember, your career in healthcare is not just a job, but an opportunity to serve others, contribute to the well-being of society, and create a meaningful and rewarding path for yourself.
