To be honest, there aren’t that many books you really need for PA school. That’s because most of the time, you’ll be studying power points, lecture notes, or other resources provided by your PA school faculty. But there are a few books that I found extremely helpful when I was a PA student. The books […]| Being a PA
How many years does it take to become a physician assistant? There’s a short answer, and a long answer. PA school itself usually lasts 2-3 years. But there are several things you have to do before PA school as well. In this post I’ll dive into the details of how long it takes to become […]| Being a PA
People often ask about physician assistant job descriptions. Overall, it’s kind of a boring topic. So I’ll try to spice it up a little bit. Instead of just giving one job description, I’ll give multiple job descriptions for various work settings. This includes a general PA job description, as well as descriptions for some of […]| Being a PA
Emergency medicine is a pretty popular specialty for physician assistants. But working in the ER as a PA has both advantages and disadvantages. I’ve worked in emergency medicine as a PA since 2014. In this post, I’ll share several of the pros and cons of working in the ER as a PA. Let’s dive in. […]| Being a PA
Most physician assistants assume they’ll be working full-time, with just a couple weeks of vacation per year. That doesn’t leave much time for lengthy trips to foreign countries, or to slowly take your time while traveling. And for a lot of people, that’s how it goes. They just take a couple hurried vacations each year, […]| Being a PA
One of the most challenging parts of working in the ER is doing night shifts. But you can’t avoid them 100% (in most cases), so it’s worth figuring out a few strategies to make things easier. In this post I’ll share 5 tips to help you prepare for–and thrive during–night shifts in the emergency room. […]| Being a PA
In the end, physician assistants and nurse practitioners do a very similar job. Nearly identical. But there are a few key differences to know about, if you’re thinking about pursuing one of these careers. In this post I’ll explain the differences that are worth knowing about between PA’s and NP’s (and the similarities). Let’s dive […]| Being a PA
I’ve been working as a PA in the ER for several years. And I get a lot of questions about the differences between PA’s and nurses in the ER. What does each one do? How’s the job satisfaction? How about the pay? And so on. In this post I’ll explain what it’s like to be […]| Being a PA
Most people assume being a physician is a better career option than being a physician assistant. And while there are some advantages to being a doctor… There are also several advantages to being a PA over being a doctor. In this post I’ll share five of the most obvious advantages of being a PA, based […]| Being a PA
Becoming a physician assistant as a second career is appealing for some. But there are various challenges, and pros and cons of doing so.| Being a PA