Health Care Job: Physician Assistant
A common career in the medical field that requires only 2 years of training is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMTs) or a Paramedic. EMTs respond to emergencies anywhere nearby. They can be most commonly found inside ambulances on the road, but some may provide care for patients on a helicopter, for example, if somebody had an emergency on a mountain they may need to be transported by air. EMTs are first responders that are trained in skills to provide immediate care for patients in critical condition, and transport patients to a nearby hospital.
To become an EMT, you must complete a course that requires between 120-150 hours and for paramedics 1,200-1,800 hours. Useful skills for being an EMT is to be functional for long periods of time without sleep. Work shifts include weekends, nights, and holidays and are sometimes even scheduled 24-hour shifts. You must also have great communication skills and react quickly. You’re constantly dealing with people and some situations get tough you can keep people calm and asses the scene.
I am interested in becoming a paramedic because it seems to be a job that is more fitting for me because I think being a first responder is a really important job in a community because you get to help the community on a more personal level and its less schooling than other health care jobs. A more advance job would be a physician assistant diagnosed and treat illness and disease to patients and can prescribe them medication. Physician assistants work in physician offices, hospitals, and inside health clinics but have to have a licensed physician working alongside them. Physician assistants do the majority of the same services and have similar skills to a licensed physician.
To become a PA you will need about 6-7 years of higher education and must take and graduate from a physician assistant program, pass a national certification exam where you can get licensed in the state you wish to practice in. The schooling is almost like a full-time job where you are constantly working with the school and getting the 3 years of healthcare experience that you need. Physician assistants work in a more comfortable condition compared to the EMTs. They tend to do a lot of walking and work long hours which may include days and nights over weekends, holidays and must be on call at certain times, which include nights and weekends. You should have good communication skills just like all other health career jobs because if something is misinterpreted people can not get the treatment they need to get better.
I am interested in becoming a physician assistant because I find that I enjoy being able to help others and get them to improve and get better. I see that health care jobs are a great way to help the community and make the biggest impact on the world we live in.
