Responsibilities Of A Physician Assistant

What does a physician assistant do? If you are entertaining a career in the medical field, this is a question you have probably asked. While you may love the idea of becoming a doctor, the thought of spending years in medical school and thousands of dollars on your education may not sound as great. This has likely led you to consider a career as a physician assistant.

It is common for those who dream of being doctors to become physician assistants instead. This is a reasonable compromise, since a physician assistant can take on many responsibilities traditionally reserved for a doctor. Some practices allow a physician assistant to maintain a caseload of their own patients, while working closely under a doctor who can help if there are problems.

Physician assistants are in great demand and can apply for jobs in many medical facilities. You may find yourself working with children in a pediatricians office, or you could end up in a cosmetic surgery office doing consults with Botox patients. You could work in a hospital environment assisting multiple doctors. There are many medical clinics that need assistants as well. If there is a doctor on the staff, there is likely to be a position for a physician assistant.

While being educated as a physician assistant, you can decide to specialize just like doctors do, or to go with a general practice. If you want your career to be focused in a particular medical field, then additional coursework can be picked up so you are specialized in that area of medicine.

On the job, this position requires a lot of desk work as well as interaction directly with patients. Below you will find a quick overview of the duties, though the exact requirements will vary depending on where you work and what you choose to specialize in (if you specialize at all). There are different laws regarding what an assistant can do in different states, so you will have to be aware of those laws.

What administrative tasks are required from a physician assistant? The majority of the office work is focused on insurance claims, pharmacies, and coordinating with other doctors on behalf of patients. A physician assistant may spend considerable amounts of time calling in prescriptions for all patients of the practice, getting referrals to other doctors patients need to see, and making sure that all insurance claims are handled properly and promptly.

Doctors should find that their work is much easier because of the workload carried by their assistant. The doctor will not waste time making phone calls and working with insurance claims, because they have to deal with the needs of the patients.

Doctors see patients on a daily basis, and many physician assistants do the same. They are able to take a complete medical history for patients, listen to their problems, analyze symptoms and physical reactions, and come up with diagnoses. A physician assistant can do everything the patient requires, and that includes prescribing medications that are controlled.

There are times a physician assistant may not have the knowledge to deal with a patient, and that is when the doctor will step in to assist and educate. Sometimes work will be carried out alongside a physician, but in many cases the majority of a physician assistants work is done independently.

It is understandable if you are confused about the differences between physicians and physician assistants. It is very easy to understand when you think about the extra training and experience a physician must obtain before taking on their title and establishing a practice. It must be noted that as a physician assistant you will have to go through some advanced learning, but you wont be required to go through the strenuous programs required to become a doctor.