I have always felt the need to help people any time I can. Being helpful to others has always felt like an accomplishment. Thinking about that, I have come to the time where I need to pick my occupation. Should I be a physical therapist assistant or a pediatrician is the decision I have to make. But with choosing my occupation, I need to also keep in mind a few things, the pay rate, employment demand, years of schooling, and the job environment. With this being said. I would choose Pediatrician over a physical therapist assistant. The average salary for a pediatrician in our area is $135,000 a year, which will average out about $88.07 an hour (The Facts. (2017) para 2, para 5). In some states the average is a lot higher for a pediatrician. …show more content…
The first year of residency used to be called “internship” which most people are familiar with (THE BOTTOM LINE! (n.d.) para 1). After you finish those 11 years of school, you are able to become a certified pediatrician (Interesting Facts About Pediatricians. (2017) para. 4). The major classes you would have to take while earning your degree are Biology, Chemistry, and many other science classes. But going into the medical field you need to know that it is very competitive you have to know what you 're doing (Healthcare Career. (2009) para. 6). Schooling for a physical therapist assistant is 2 years which is an associate’s degree (Find Your Physical Therapy Degree Program (n.d.) para 2). Some classes you will have to take as majors for physical therapist assistant are cellular biology, general chemistry, general psychology, calculus, comparative anatomy and biology statistics, and general physics (Find Your Physical Therapy Degree Program (n.d.) para 2). Once you get your associate’s, you have to be licensed before your can work (Becoming a Physical Therapist (n.d.) para 2). Having a physical therapy license is required in every state. Doing a lot of volunteering while going to college to be a physical therapist assistant is very recommended to get more experience before going into the real world (How to Become a Physical Therapist. (2003) chart 1, para 4). To become a pediatrician, the schooling is way longer than becoming a physical therapist assistant but the pay for a pediatrician is well worth
Every state in the US has an affiliated chapter branching from the national organization that advocates for all Physician Assistants, known as the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). The American Academy of Physician Assistants handles licensing requirements, networking opportunities, job resources, and provides tools to improve PA practice and patient care for each state and federal service chapter. These individual state affiliations branching from the AAPA are pertinent to the Physician Assistant profession because they allow for more direct and local resources for Physician Assistants. Having an individual state chapter makes it easier to find local jobs in the area and get answers to questions about each state law requirement.
Applicants must have a Bachelors degree from an accredited 4-year university. At most schools paid hands on healthcare experience is required, usually around 2000 hours. This healthcare experience can come in fields such as CNA (certified nurses assistant), EMT (emergency medical technician), EKG technicians, registered nurses, phlebotomists, physical therapist, respiratory therapist, and ER technicians. Many schools recommend shadowing at least one physician assistant and to have a decent number of volunteer hours. An average of three recommendation letters usually from healthcare professionals you have worked with and especially from at least one physician assistant.
The median salary of a physical therapist is about $85,000 a year. The amount of years in the workforce and how high the degree is, then the salary can vary. There is a list of classes that must be taken to become a physical therapist: anatomy, physiology, biology, chemistry, statistics, and psychology. In order to get admission to a physical therapy education program then those classes are required to be taken.
A physician 's assistant is highly respected in the healthcare field. You can have a career in 6-8 years as opposed to a doctor ' s. Moreover, Physician assistants have been named one of the fastest growing professions in the U.S by the Bureau of Labor & Statistics with an expected 30% increase in jobs by 2020. There is an opportunity for advancement in the field of Physician Assistant and experienced physician assistants will be given more responsibilities and earn higher salaries.
Many often confuse this type of practice with nurse practitioners which led Mrs. Hughes to distinguish the difference between the two professions. The PA program is schooled under the medical model while nurse practitioners are schooled under the nursing model. The prerequisites for applying to a master’s program depend on what school individuals chose to apply to. When tying to become a physician assistant you have to have an undergraduate degree (of any kind), pass the GRE, have twelve hundred hours of patient contact as well as meeting the general class requirements.
Working as a physician assistant allows great flexibility in which they can switch between specialties throughout the duration of their career. Being that family medicine has been identified as the most popular specialty within the PA profession, many graduates completing a physician assistant program will pursue a career in this specialty. The family medicine specialty is particularly favored among physician assistants because it allows them to treat patients throughout their whole life and even allows the PA to see patients dealing with many different issues instead of focusing on just one area of medicine; this can be described as a more all inclusive specialty. Physician assistant program lengths typically only last 27 months and the potential to earn a salary of approximately over $100,000 a year makes this specialty favorable as well. With there being a decline in the number of physicians, the physician assistant profession is expected to increase dramatically over the years.
“Though it’s not an exhaustive list, you can get healthcare experience by being a: medical assistant, emergency medical technician, paramedic…” (American Academy of Physician Assistants). After completing their requirements, students must apply to a physician assistant program. According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, “Most programs are approximately 27 months (3 academic years) and award master’s degrees.” After thorough training, students will need to become certified as physician assistants.
Being a physician assistant pays well and gives me job security meaning with the right years of experience I can obtain my job for the long term. There is also career and schedule flexibility because
Another reason I chose respiratory therapy over physical therapy is because of the wide variety of options to choose from. My main goal is to become a registered respiratory therapist. If I choose to do other things within my career field then I would be able
Many applicants have experience as a nurse assistant (NA), registered nurse (RN), or emergency medical technician (EMT) before they apply to a PA program. Physician’s assistants must be licensed. To get a license you must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. To keep this license, you must complete one hundred hours of continuing education every two years. All jobs have specific qualities needed for them.
Another training that would be needed is some basic office schools and postsecondary nondegree award. There are many places in the United States to become a medical assistant. The top one of the training places I would like to go for training is Pasadena City College (PCC). Two other places I would like to go to for training is Orange Coast College (OCC), and Anthem College (AC).
The profession I have chosen to pursue is that of a Physician Assistant. My reason for this selection is because it gives you the independency of a Physician while having somewhat less responsibilities. A Physician Assistant provides healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Some of these services include but are not limited to examining and treating patients, diagnosing illnesses and counseling patients. In some case physician assistants are also tasked to prescribe medicine to patients.
When one decides to become a physical therapist he has to be prepared. He should take chemistry, biology, and physics in high school. It would also be a good idea to take some public relations classes as well as speech and typing classes. In college one must earn a doctoral degree or masters.
Therapists have to be on their feet the whole day and will often have to provide assistance for their patients with low moblity. There are no set physical requirements to become a physical therapist, however, it is crucial to be fit and strong. The days for a physical therpaist seem to drag out; meaning they have extremely long
In many states you can be evaluated and treated by a physical therapist without seeing your doctor first. Physical therapists can work in a variety of settings, hospitals, outpatient clinics, private-practices, home health agencies, schools, nursing homes, and even in emergency rooms. I expected physical therapists to earn more than 85,000 dollars yearly. In my opinion the most exciting part of the job is getting to see the patient’s progress and finally achieving their goals.