What Are Physician School Requirements
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Requirements for physician assistant school include the completion of two years college coursework with subjects in basic and behavioral sciences prior to submitting an application to a PA program.
Steps to Fulfill Requirements for PA School
- Take Prerequisites and Hands-on Healthcare Experience. Prerequisite courses or subjects for the PA program are Chemistry, Physiology, Anatomy, Microbiology and Biology. These requirements for PA school must be completed prior to having hands-on patient care experience.
- Get Accredited PA Program. PA programs have duration of 26 months or about 3 years of academic calendar, which culminates with the awarding of a master’s degree. Physician assistant school requirements involve a minimum of 2,000 hours clinical rotations, and classroom instructions on science and math subjects.
- Getting Certified. When classroom instructions and clinical rotations have been completed, the next step you need to do is to become a certified physician assistant by taking the PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam dispensed by the NCCPA. When you pass the PANCE, you can attach the title Physician Assistant-Certified or PA-C to your name.
- Acquire a State License. Get a license from your state prior to practicing as a PA. PAs who are duly licensed must graduate from physician accredited program institutions and must pass the PANCE.
- Retain Your Certification. To continue your PA practice, you must accomplish 100 hours of CME credits every two years and take the PANRE (recertifying exam) every 10 years. New CME requirements took effect in 2014.
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Tips for Physician Assistant School Requirements
- Start your preparations early if you plan to become a PA. See the requirements for PA school programs from different schools because they vary.
- Obtain direct patient clinical experience of 1000 hours to 4000 hours since it’s a part of the physician assistant school requirements.
- Maintain a high GPA since PA programs are academically competitive
- Choose appropriate science subjects during your undergraduate college term.
To ensure that you can complete the requirements for physician assistant school get more experience by working during summer, joining medical missions and finding mentors who can extend professional advice for your PA undertaking.