| Doctor's assistants are people who can practice | | | | specialized practitioners who have to have to |
| medicine under the supervision of a licensed physician. | | | | compulsorily get a medical license. While the medical |
| Doctor's assistant jobs are aplenty what with the | | | | field for practitioners has various accrediting bodies, the |
| plethora of fields that are cropping up in the medical | | | | study for a doctor's assistants job has only a single |
| discipline. Doctor's assistants are generally also known | | | | accreditation source, namely, the Accreditation Review |
| as physician assistants. The basic questions that need | | | | Commission on Education for the Physical Assistant |
| to be answered are the following: | | | | (ARC-PA).There is a striking contrast between nurses |
| What is the scope of a doctor's assistants job? | | | | and doctor's assistants too. While nurse practitioners |
| How does a doctor's assistants job differ from that of | | | | study advanced levels of nursing in particular, doctor's |
| a licensed physician? | | | | assistants are trained generally in the field of medicine. |
| How does the future look for these people? | | | | You can find out more about jobs in the medical field |
| This article tries to answer the aforementioned | | | | at |
| questions and some more that might rise along the | | | | The future looks pretty strong for a physician's |
| way. | | | | assistant. According to a survey conducted by the |
| First, let us answer the first question as to the scope | | | | American Academy of Physician Assistants, there are |
| of a doctor's assistants job. As mentioned before, the | | | | 63,609 assistants in practice as of January 2007. The |
| doctor's assistant practices medicine under the | | | | number of positions is greater than the number of |
| supervision of a physician. The scope of a doctor's | | | | practicing PAs because some hold two or more |
| assistant's job ranges from obtaining medical histories | | | | positions. For example, some PAs work with a |
| and records, to performing examinations, from | | | | supervising physician, but also work in another practice, |
| diagnosing illnesses to prescribing medication and from | | | | clinic, or hospital. One assistant can hold one or more |
| interpreting the results of diagnosis to referring the | | | | jobs, and that provides a higher rate of job security. |
| patient to another specialized practitioner in that | | | | Doctor's assistants jobs are currently in highest |
| particular field. Basically, a doctor's assistants job | | | | demand in the hospitals. The rest are employed in |
| requires versatility. This is because a doctor's assistant | | | | public health clinics, nursing homes, schools, prisons, |
| can shift from one specialized practitioner to the other. | | | | home health care agencies, and the like. Some factors |
| That is to say, they can change from one medical or | | | | that will contribute to the rise in employment levels are: |
| surgical specialty to another. | | | | An expanding medical industry. |
| Next, we shall see how the job description of a | | | | An aging baby-boomer population. |
| doctor's assistants job differs from that of a physician | | | | Concerns for cost containment. |
| and more people in the field. The primary difference is | | | | And more. |
| the fact that for a doctor's assistants job one does | | | | This has also been quoted as the fifth best job in the |
| not need a license from a medical authority. Yes, the | | | | United States of America based on salary and job |
| medical license is optional. Some assistants have it | | | | prospects. Attractive indeed. |
| while others don't. This differs from the case of | | | | |