Last Updated on October 21, 2021 by admin
How To Become A Physician Assistant In Rhode Island
The first thing you need to know about Rhode Island ARC-PA accredited physician assistant training programs is that they usually take around two years to complete, although this can vary greatly from one institution to another. That being said, the basic curriculum includes classes in pediatric medicine, radiology, pharmacology, psychiatric medicine, immunology, genetics or clinical medicine, and patients can also enjoy clinical internships that will help them get all the necessary hands-on experience.
If you are still in high school yet you have decided that you want to pursue this particular career path and become a physician assistant in Rhode Island, then it is highly recommended to emphasize on your science, math, chemistry and biology classes, especially during the final high school year. The higher the grades, the higher your chances of being admitted to one of the many ARC-PA accredited physician assistant training programs. Most PAs start off by enrolling in a Bachelor’s or an Associate’s degree training program, followed by a Master’s degree that allows them to perfect their medical skills and knowledge. Nonetheless, in addition to emphasizing on physics and math courses during high school, it is also crucial to try and gather some practical hands-on experience as well, as this will greatly benefit you later on. Remember that the admission to an ARC-approved physician assistant training school in Rhode Island is very competitive, given the fact that there are only 150 such approved programs across the United States of America
Physician Assistant Job Description
Physician assistants play a pivotal role in any medical setting, as they are a very important part of the medical team and they can often help addressing the physician shortage, a very serious matter in the United States of America. Having said that, it is important to mention that physician assistants go enjoy some degree of freedom and independence, but in the end they still have to report back to their supervisor – in this case, the licensed physician.
These professionals enjoy clinical rotations in all medical fields, but after they finish their formal training and get their certification along with the state license, these health care professionals can choose to pursue a specialization in the form of a residency program or a post-graduate program in family medicine, cardiac surgery, orthopedics, oncology etc. That being said, the job duties of a PA include administering immunization and injections occasionally, admitting patients to hospitals and updating their medical records, taking the patient’s medical history, performing thorough physical examinations, order and interpret laboratory tests looking for potential abnormalities that may indicate a certain illness or condition, prescribing therapy or medication, counseling patients and offering them and their family advice and tips on how to manage a condition and so forth.
Physician Assistant In Rhode Island Certification Requirements
Like it happens in any other state, physician assistants who live and work in Rhode Islands must pursue their certification as soon as they graduate from the ARC-PA approved physician assistant training program. That being said, physician assistant students start off with the PA-S designation and after they take the PANCE examination (a 300 multiple-choice question computerized examination) they will receive the PA-C designation, or the Physician Assistant-Certified.
The PANCE examination is a very thorough and difficult exam that aims to closely examine the medical skills and knowledge of patients, in fields like pharmaceutical therapy, clinical intervention, laboratory and diagnostic studies, patient health maintenance, infectious disease, the cardiovascular, pulmonary and endocrine systems, psychiatric and behavioral science, the reproductive system, hematology and many others. It is important to say that the certification each physician assistant must obtain in order to work legally in the state of Rhode Island is temporary and it is set to expire every six years – at the end of the six year period, every PA must stand for a recertification examination and must also log in at least 100 continuing medical education credits every two years, in order to show that he or she has managed to keep up with the latest discoveries in medicine.
Salary and Career Info
The interactive chart above is a visual representation of the annual salary of Rhode Island 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 Programs In Rhode Island
At the time being, there is currently only one ARC-PA approved physician assistant program in the state of Rhode Island that allows students to get formally educated and pursue a lucrative career as physician assistants. The Physician Assistant Studies program is offered by the University of South Dakota, which is located in the city of Vermillion, South Dakota.
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. Bryant University (Provisional)
Initial Accreditation Date: September 6, 2014
Next ARC-PA Review: TBA
Website: http://www8.bryant.edu/physician-assistant.htm
2. Johnson & Wales University (Provisional)
Initial Accreditation Date: September 6, 2013
Next ARC-PA Review: March 2016
Website: https://www.jwu.edu/pa/
