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A Week Dedicated To An Underrated Profession

That's right, it's National Physician Assistant Week!!!!

Ody Incognito

Oct 10, 2016

SUNY Plattsburgh

A Week Dedicated To An Underrated Profession

Danny Tierney

October 6th marked the beginning of National PA Week!

Some people may wonder, what is a PA? PA stands for Physician Assistant, and no, they aren't the people who make coffee for the 'real doctors.' They're the people who are just as capable of saving your life, the people who study crazy hours and work even crazier ones, and they're the people who make a difference every day.

Here's some facts you may not know about your PA!

1. They can write a prescription.

2. They can assist in surgery.

3. Most spend 2,000 hours in clinical rotation before employment.

4. They take a recertification test every ten years to make sure they're still performing well at their jobs.

5. Every two years they complete 100 hours of continuing medical education.

6. They are certified nationally and licensed by state.

7. They can specialize in things like dermatology, mental health, radiology, and countless other fields.

8. From 2011 to 2014, the demand for PAs has increased by more than 300 percent.

9. It's a female-dominated field (67% women, 33% men).

10. The median salary is $93,800.

11. They probably participated in some awesome service trips while in college.

12. They're the best siblings you could ask for, because they'll never be grossed out by snapchats of your sore throat begging for a diagnosis.

So to all of the PAs out there, thank you. Thank you for studying, thank you for caring, and thank you for healing. To learn more about the profession, please visit www.aapa.org, which is an amazing source of information!

Special shoutout to the Wagner College class of 2017 PA Program for helping me write this article, and an even bigger shoutout to my brother Danny, who is going to be the best PA ever. I'm so proud of you and all that you do, and I can't wait for your white coat ceremony in the spring!

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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A Week Dedicated To An Underrated Profession

That's right, it's National Physician Assistant Week!!!!

1. They can write a prescription.

2. They can assist in surgery.

3. Most spend 2,000 hours in clinical rotation before employment.

4. They take a recertification test every ten years to make sure they're still performing well at their jobs.

5. Every two years they complete 100 hours of continuing medical education.

6. They are certified nationally and licensed by state.

7. They can specialize in things like dermatology, mental health, radiology, and countless other fields.

8. From 2011 to 2014, the demand for PAs has increased by more than 300 percent.

9. It's a female-dominated field (67% women, 33% men).

10. The median salary is $93,800.

11. They probably participated in some awesome service trips while in college.

12. They're the best siblings you could ask for, because they'll never be grossed out by snapchats of your sore throat begging for a diagnosis.

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When you're struggling to keep afloat, keep going.

Panicking and pulling all-nighters will not allow you to get an A.

College is hard, but you will make it through.

1. You will have that special "college" look to you.

2. You will feel like an adult but also feeling like a child.

3. You will have classes that are just the professor reading from their lecture slides for an hour.

4. You will need to study but also want to hang out with your friends.

5. Coffee is your best friend.

6. You don't know what you're doing 99% of the time.

7. You will procrastinate and write a paper the night before it is due.

8. Money is a mythical object.

9. It is nearly impossible to motivate yourself to go to classes during spring.

10. The food pyramid goes out the window.

11. You will have at least one stress induced breakdown a semester.

12. Most lecture classes will bore you to tears.

13. You will not like all of your professors.

14. You will try to go to the gym... but you will get too lazy at some point.

15. When you see high school students taking tours:

16. You will try to convince yourself that you can handle everything.

17. Finals week will try to kill you.

18. You won't like everyone, but you will find your best friends sooner or later.

19. You actually have to go to class.

20. Enjoy it, because you will be sad when it is all over.

The more I research, the more I worry, the more I get stuck.

You are not alone.

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