Last Updated on October 21, 2021 by admin
How to become a physician assistant in Maryland
If you have decided to pursue a medical career, then the first thing you should know about the state of Maryland is that this is home to some of the most reputable medical research institutions and university in the United States of America. That being said, every physician assistant in Maryland must apply for a national certification as well as for a license issued by the Maryland State Board of Medicine – this will happen after graduating from an accredited Physician Assistant training program, when you will have to sit for the PANCE examination, or the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam. In order to do that, you will have to pay the examination fee, and if you manage to pass it you will become certified.
The first and most important (and difficult) step every future physician assistant must take in order to become a certified and licensed health care provider is to search for ARC-PA accredited physician assistant training programs in the state of Maryland. The training typically lasts for four years for a Bachelor’s Degree, and at the end of the formal education most of the PAs choose to enroll in a Master’s Degree training program.
Physician Assistant Job Description
Physician assistants who live and work in the state of Maryland have a series of duties and responsibilities – they take the medical history of patients as soon as they are submitted to hospital and update their medical records, they prescribe medications, they make rounds in nursing homes and state hospitals, they assist licensed surgeons and physicians in surgery, they offer counseling services and advice on disease prevention as well as preventive care, they order, develop and interpret various tests in order to detect anomalies, they diagnose and treat various illnesses, they conduct a variety of physical exams and so forth.
Nonetheless, it must be said that the exact duties of these health care provider can vary depending on various factors, such as the state laws that govern this medical profession in Maryland, the level of experience and training, the setting in which the physician assistant works as well as the medical specialty they have opted for. Most of the time, physician assistants in Maryland get to work in inner city or rural settings, which means they will be working in collaboration with a doctor. They are often called upon to ensure house calls, to suture wounds, to apply casts or splints, to mend minor injuries and so forth.
Initial Certification Process
The certification process plays a pivotal role in the life and in the career of every physician assistant, not just those from Maryland. Having said that, after graduating from the ARC-PA approved training program, all physician assistants must take the PANCE examination for certification. After that, they will receive the PA-C designation, or the Physician Assistant-Certified title, which will open many doors for them and increase their job opportunities. Even after these health care providers have managed to obtain their certification, they will still have to do their best in order to maintain their certification active and valid – they will have to sit for a re-certification examination, or the PANRE, every six years, and they must also log in at least 100 credits of CME or continuing medical education classes every two years.
Salary and Career Info
The interactive chart above is a visual representation of the annual salary of Maryland PA’s compared to the national annual salaries, all based on the latest May 2022 Occupational Employment Statistics figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Physician Assistant Schools In Maryland
If you have decided to pursue a lucrative career as a physician assistant in the state of Maryland, then you should know that there are four accredited and approved physician assistant training schools in the state. That being said, by enrolling in their PA training programs you can obtain a Physician Assistant certificate, a bachelor’s degree (which most physician assistants find enough for an entry level position in most health care setting these days) as well as a master’s degree.
That being said, these approved physician assistant training programs are the Anne Arundel Community College located in Arnold, Maryland, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the Townson University which is located in the city of Townson, and last but not least the Community College of Baltimore County located in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Regardless of your choice, you can be sure to get PA training of the highest quality in any of these four accredited schools.
List of All 2 Accredited PA Programs
As of November 2014, the accrediting agency is ARC-PA and they have 2 fully accredited AL programs.
1. Anne Arundel Community College
Initial Accreditation Date: October 1, 1996
Next ARC-PA Review: September 2018
Website: http://www.aacc.edu/physassist/
2. University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Initial Accreditation Date: June 1, 2001
Next ARC-PA Review: September 2015
Website: https://www.umes.edu/pa/Default.aspx?id=2408
