According to Occupational Outlook Quarterly, getting into an undergraduate program which would eventually help you become a PA is very difficult. Indeed, research has shown that 26 of the 36 programs which have undergone survey prove that only 10 students gain acceptance out of 35 students. So, these statistics tell you that you must be a top-level performer before you can get any of these courses. So, in this article, we will identify the best physician assistant bachelor degree programs, how to scale through each program and more. The table of content clearly outlines all you’ll learn from this article.
What is a PA Degree?
A PA degree is a degree that strengthens or announces the competence of every physician. Unlike other degrees, this degree is usually at the Master’s level – it doesn’t have a bachelor degree. As a PA, you have a very wide scope of practice which varies by healthcare settings and jurisdictions. In fact, the profession demands that you explore a range of practices but still maintain the core responsibility of assisting a physician. A PA undergoes full training for a period within 2-3 years on a graduate study program. So, their training usually involves laboratory and classroom instruction in behavioural and medical sciences. This degree involves a lot of training on the job. Hence, you’re more exposed to practical procedures instead of theoretical practices. This will eventually help eliminate every form of panic in view of a rare case.
What Bachelor Degree do I need for Physician Assistant?
As you know, there’s no bachelor degree which can train you to become a PA. However, there are higher degrees programs for that. Hence, you need to pursue and complete a bachelor degree program that will be relevant for your career path as a Physician Assistant. When you further read through this article, you will encounter these courses, however, you must understand that they have differences. While they may all be health-related, some have greater proximity to a career path like PA. One of such courses is Immunology – the study of the human immune system. This course will teach you to understand the immune system which is key when observing a patient. It will eventually help your diagnosis. In summary, there are other key courses such as Physiotherapy, Pharmacology, Physiology which are also helpful to your PA career path. It all depends on your interest and eligibility.
What do I expect in a Physician Assistant School?
A lot of adrenaline-pumping students get into a PA school with high expectation of doing everything right. Well, most times it just doesn’t work that way. You would make continuous mistakes which can be very costly. Before you even register to be part of any physician assistant school, you must perform your research. You must ensure that the school abides by the strongest practices of performance. More so, their educational culture should be top-notch. Generally, when you enter a PA school, expect that it wouldn’t be easy. Most times, you might need to spend the nights with your physician at the theatre. Other times, it might involve late lectures and all-day laboratories duties. Conclusively, the most efficient way to venture into a PA school is to never eliminate the element of surprise. Always expect that you would continually be on your feet at every time. With this approach, you will surely do well.
What Major is a Physician Assistant under?
It’s very rare to find a booming career path that doesn’t have a major. Well, let’s ideally say the path of a physician assistant is very well among them. The reason simply beckons on the fact that being a PA is a strong specialization. So, if you want to become a physician assistant you must pursue a health-related discipline at the bachelor degree level. Then after you have completed the program, you can then pursue a PA degree program at the Master’s level.
15 Best Physician Assistant Bachelor Degree Programs
There are a very large number of available health courses that you can study. However, these courses listed here have close similarities and can help your PA career. Hence, the Best Physician Assistant Bachelor Degree Programs include;
#15. Biochemistry
Duration: 4-5 years
Biochemistry is the branch of science which deals with the relationship chemical processes have with living organisms. It essentially uses chemistry knowledge to understand and also solve biological problems. This course covers a lot of areas such as forensics, plant sciences, genetics and microbiology. Hence, biochemists can experiment and provide solutions to biological problems and support the understanding of disease and health. As a biochemist, you must possess communication, analytical, observational and problem-solving skills. Surely, this is one of the best physician assistant bachelor degree programs.
#14. Organic Chemistry
Duration: 4 years
Organic Chemistry is simply the study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-containing compounds. These compounds include not only hydrocarbons but also compounds with many other elements such as hydrogen compounds. This course focuses on how these carbon compounds can be transformed into everyday useable products. A vivid example is the use of butane for cookers and other essential utilities. Organic Chemists usually function at biotechnology, chemical and petroleum companies. It’s simply because it must involve a chemical process in a step or two in these industries.
#13. Immunology
Duration: 4-5 years
Immunology is the study of the immune system. This is a branch of biology that totally focuses on how the immune system operates and a very important branch of the medical and biological sciences. Since Immunology became a program, it has saved many lives from the wrong diagnosis. The course work fully and closely looks at the human immune system. It seeks to understand how the immune system fights diseases and protects the body against infection. Immunologists continue seeking ways to strengthen the immune system against attacks against the body. Immunologists occupy positions in hospitals, pharmacies and health care facilities. As a prospective PA, this is one of the best physician assistant bachelor degree programs.
#12. Public Health
Duration: 5 years
Public health is simply defined as the science of protecting the safety and improving the health of communities through education, policy-making and research for disease and injury prevention. Hence, it’ s more of an enlightening platform. This course incorporates a lot of other disciplines such as biology, anthropology, public policy, mathematics and education. Hence, this enables them to perform a proper investigation regarding health hazards and health problems as well. Public health is one of the best physician assistant bachelor degree programs due to its wide scope. These professionals can decide to work in Government health agencies, non-profit organizations or local health departments.
#11. Physiotherapy
Duration: 3 years
Physiotherapy is simply a profession that deals with injured or disabled individuals. They basically help them build their muscles so as avoid them wearing out through exercise, manual therapy and counselling. As a physiotherapist, you must understand the human skeletal system and how it functions. Furthermore, you have to possess knowledge of exercise routines that are profitable depending on the particular case of an individual. Physiotherapists work in hospitals and health centres. Others function privately which is very effective as well. As long as human have bones, physiotherapists will always have a strong role to play.
#10. Pathophysiology
Duration: N/A
Pathophysiology is a combination of pathology and physiology. Hence, it studies the deposition of antigens within the dermal-epidermal junction in different target sites, including the lamina lucida or sub-lamina densa, or both. This course is a bridge between pathology and physiology aims to abstract how a combination of the two of them work. So far, the results have been amazing. Pathophysiologist works in research institutes, health centres, hospitals and educational centres as well. They privately carry out their research in personal laboratories. Indeed, it is one of the best physician assistant bachelor degree programs.
#9. Genetics
Duration: 4 years
Genetics is a branch of biology interested in the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms. Genes portray the living organisms wherein children take up hereditary traits from their parents. This course seeks to break down those variations and study how they command human behaviour. Furthermore, they see how children are exposed to suffering certain illnesses that deal with genetics as a whole. Genetic experts work in research institutes, health centres, and hospitals. Furthermore, they privately carry out their research in personal laboratories. Indeed, it is one of the best physician assistant bachelor degree programs.
#8. Molecular or Cellular Biology
Duration: N/A
Molecular and Cellular biology studies the biological processes of molecules besides their interaction in cells and tissues. They also study cell behaviour and the influence behind it. This is usually an investigative report that seeks to build on existing knowledge of these structures and the way forward. The American Society for Microbiology published this report.
#7. Clinical Laboratory Science
Duration: 4- 5 years
Medical Laboratory Scientists are important healthcare detectives, who investigate in order to provide laboratory information from laboratory analyses that assist physicians in patient diagnosis and treatment. Most times, these results help in disease monitoring and prevention as well. Through the use of biomedical instrumentation and technology, computers, and methods requiring manual dexterity to perform laboratory testing on blood and body fluids, they test patients for every trace of illness. Clinical laboratorians work in research institutes, health centres, and hospitals. Furthermore, they privately carry out their research in personal laboratories. Indeed, it is one of the best physician assistant bachelor degree programs.
#6. Diagnostic Studies
Duration: N/A
Diagnostic research has always focused on estimating the sensitivity and specificity of individual diagnostic tests. Today, they are reaching deeper into broader horizons by proposing more improved methods of diagnostic research. This course teaches you how to name different measures of diagnostic value, describe the principles and design of primary diagnostic studies and the validity aspects of primary diagnostic studies. Diagnostic research is taught as an online course which can take up to a month, however, it still remains a strong background course for a PA program.
#5. Medical Ethics
Duration: N/A
Medical ethics seeks to identify moral principles that apply values to the practice of clinical medicine and in scientific research. It bases medical ethics on a set of values that professionals can refer to with any confusion or conflict. As a medical professional, you must adhere to this ethics in order to do very well. Hence, know them and continually abide by them throughout your career.
#4. Anatomy
Duration: 3-4 years
Anatomy is the study of the structures of the human body. It totally encompasses how the human body was built and its part integrated to function in their unique way. This course has two branches which are gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. While gross anatomy deals with biological structures visible to the naked eye, microscopic anatomy seeks to study of cells and tissues of animals, humans and plants that are too small to have been seen with the naked eye. Anatomists work in research institutes, hospitals and educational centres as well. Indeed, it is one of the best physician assistant bachelor degree programs.
#3. Behavioural Science
Duration: 2-4 years
Behavioural science inquires to understand why people take certain actions. Although many people have closely associated it with social sciences, this course takes a greater experimental approach to understanding and analyzing human behaviour. This course totally focuses on how human behaviour forces certain actions which might be unprofitable most of the time. It seeks to experiment with the habits of building blocks and the greatest influence associated with building habits. Behavioural Scientists work in research institutes, psychiatric facilities and educational centres as well. Indeed, it is one of the best physician assistant bachelor degree programs.
#2. Physiology
Duration: 2-4 years
Physiology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the basis of cell function at every level and how its behaviour affects the external environment. More so, it investigates the mechanism of living things. This course totally focuses on integrating molecular, cellular, systems and the whole body functionality as well. Furthermore, there is a continuous exploration of how the heart rate and sense of vision are controlled. Physiologists work in research institutes, biotechnological firms, pharmaceutical industries and educational centres as well
#1. Pharmacology
Duration: 4 years
Pharmacology lies at the heart of biomedical science. It acts as a link between chemistry, pathology and physiology. Furthermore, it works closely with other fields such as neuroscience, molecular biology and cancer biology. This course totally focuses on producing drugs that help cure diseases while having no side effects at all. Additionally, it also seeks to understand why different people have unique responses to the same medicine. Pharmacologists work in pharmacies, hospitals, laboratories and every health centre. Indeed, it is one of the best physician assistant bachelor degree programs. You can get into PA school when you apply for a PA program and meet the eligibility requirements. Yes. A physician assistant can become a Doctor when he gets the license to perform surgery. It takes about three years to become a physician assistant. A PA can administer, consult and diagnosis treatment to sick patients. You need a bachelor degree in any health related course and a CGPA of nothing less than 3.0.
Conclusion
Building the right foundation is important to the success of any venture. In the same vein, when you don’t get a relevant bachelor degree, your chances of becoming a physician assistant will hang in the balance. So, you quickly need to peruse this article as much as you can. Then you check which of the degrees you think would best fit your pursuit. You can check the degree for which you are best qualified. Becoming a physician assistant is one of the best life decisions you can make. A time wherein PA’s will become irrelevant can never come. And the pay keeps increasing each year. So, take the bull by the horn and make progress.
