Don’t Find Yourself Ground Down In The Boredom Of A Regular 9-5 Job: Choosing a Career in Health Care – Things You Should Keep In Mind About Physician Assistant and Medical Assistant Jobs
While these roles may sound similar, physician assistants and medical assistants are actually really distinguishable positions. Here, we take a closer look at each profession,including differences in educational requirements, job functions and earnings.
Do not mix them up. Even though they sound similar, physician assistant jobs and medical assistant jobs are rather dissimilar. Each position has different educational requirements, involves a different day-by-day regime, and makes a different salary. They do have a few things shared, though: both physician assistant and medical assistant jobs require maintaining contact with patients on a regular basis–which means both require a strong set of ethics, as well as solid communication skills and compassion.
The formal training for physician assistants and medical assistants is quite different, in terms of program prerequisites, length of program and coursework. While admission to a medical assistant school does not depend on any preexistent academic degrees, in order to be admitted to an licensed physician assistant program, a Bachelors degree is mandatory. Once enrolled, the length of a medical assistant program is 1 to 2 years, resulting in a certificate or an Associates degree; the length of physician assistant programs, though, is always at least two years resulting in a Masters degree. Finally, the bulk of training for medical assistants consists of lab techniques, clinical procedures and first aid while training at physician assistant school includes coursework in biochemistry, pharmacology and other rigorous science classes. In addition, students at physician assistant schools must spend short periods of time specializing in specific areas of medicine.
Patient care is involved in both physician assistant jobs and medical assistant jobs, but aside from that, there is not much else that is similar in these roles. While medical assistants spend their days performing routine administrative and clinical tasks such as arranging for patient laboratory services or preparing patients for examinations, physician assistants actually practice medicine under a doctors supervision. This might even include diagnosing patients and prescribing certain medications.
Yet another difference between physician assistants and medical assistants is their wage. After going to a medical assistant school , one can expect to earn a salary of about $28,300 each year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average salary for a physician assistant, on the other hand, is $81,230 per year. This figure varies though as a function of factors such as geographic location, specialisation, and industry exposure.