Curious about a Healthcare Career? Two Very Distinct Healthcare Occupations
Monday, February 28th, 2011Even though they have similar descriptions, physician assistant positions and med assistant positions don’t have much in common. In this section, we discuss each career,pointing out differences between each jobs characteristics and prospective lookout.
Dont have them confused. Even though they sound similar, physician assistants and medical assistants are very different in practice. Both demand their own type of training, comprise of their own job functions, and result in their own, distinct salaries. These two healthcare jobs aren’t that different, though: each career is centered on private patient care–which means both necessitate a strong set of ethics, as well as strong communication skills and compassion.
The formal training for physician assistants and medical assistants is quite different, as far as program prerequisites, duration of program and coursework. While medical assistant school admissions requirements do not include already having a degree of any sort, in order to be admitted to an approved physician assistant program, a Bachelors degree is required. After one enrolls, medical assistant schools can last anywhere between 1-2 years, and can grant either a certificate or an Associates degree; the length of physician assistant programs, though, is always at least two years resulting in a Masters degree. Finally, the bulk of training for medical assistants consists of lab techniques, clinical procedures and first aid while physician assistant programs are concentrated on stringent science courses including pharmacology and biochemistry. Additionally, physician assistant training takes hands-on training in various specialties for short periods of time.
The daily procedures of physician assistants and medical assistants both involve working with patients, but that is about the only thing that is similar about them. Medical assistants, for example, perform routine clinical and administrative tasks such as arranging for patient laboratory services or preparing patients for examinations, physician assistants are busy practicing medicine under the supervision of a doctor. This might even include diagnosing patients and prescribing certain medications.
Finally, another difference between physician assistants and medical assistants is their wage. Based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), average medical assistant salary is $28,300 per year. After attending physician assistant school, on the other hand, you can expect to earn a salary of about $81,230 per year. This data changes though as a function of constituents such as geo location, specialisation, and industry exposure.