Physician Assistant: A promising, lucrative career opportunity in India and abroad
Would you like to pursue a career in the field of medical sciences other than the conventional MBBS, BDS, or Nursing after class XII? Then you can be a Physician Assistant, a promising, lucrative career in India and abroad through which you can contribute substantially to the community's healthcare. This article illustrates various specialized courses to become a qualified PA, top colleges/universities offering PA programs, and career prospects in India and abroad.
With the medical profession being highly exorbitant in our country, many potential medical aspirants cannot make it through this noble profession due to various issues. Added to this, most of the medical graduates aim for higher education to become specialists/super specialists and there has been an extensive vacuum in the duties to be executed by medical doctors at the preliminary level. Physician Assistants or Associates have an enormous role in getting hold of this profession thus fulfilling the vacuum since this career is exceptionally vital and challenging equal to MBBS doctors. Moreover, with India emerging as a hub for clinical research and medical tourism for the past couple of decades, the career prospects for a PA are immense in the future.Evolution of Physician Assistants
In the United States of America, a few decades ago, it was realized that there was a shortage of primary care physicians, and the need for additional healthcare professionals was huge. Thus, to fulfill this requirement, the first Physician Assistant program was initiated by Dr. Eugene Stead in 1960 in North California at the Duke University Medical Center. Navy men were trained clinically while in military service and during the Vietnam War. The curriculum was based on the fast-track skills of medical professionals who were at the time of World War II. Almost 44,000 Physician Assistants in forty-eight states in the United States were accredited to sign prescriptions, i.e., granted permission to diagnose and prescribe medicines for patients through this PA program.The inception of the Physician Assistant Program in India
As an impact of urbanization and lifestyle changes in a developing country like India, life-threatening diseases/communicable diseases, such as HIV, CAD, diabetes mellitus, and obesity are on the alarming rise which leads to the expansion of the healthcare profession with the enormous growth of subspecialists and superspecialists. In India, more and more Life Science graduates emerge every year, and inspired by the proactive concept of the physician assistant program in the US, the PA program was commenced in 1992 in the premier Madras Medical Mission Hospital by the famous cardiac surgeon, Dr. K.M. Cherian. Currently, this innovative physician assistant program is being pursued with hundreds of PA graduates engaged in several hospitals throughout the country and abroad.Role of a Physician Assistant
A Physician Assistant is a qualified healthcare professional as of B.Sc. Nursing professional who assists specialists and superspecialists in performing diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive medical services at the preliminary level. He/she needs to perform duties under the supervision of a physician/surgeon/super specialist. Being clinically trained through a PA program the Physician Assistants deal with physical exams, diagnosis, and treatment, interpret laboratory tests, and counseling on preventive health care issues. They are involved in surgeries to assist the surgeons and conduct research activities and clinical trials regarding the patient's healthcare.How to Become a Physician Assistant in India?
Currently in India, online and offline Certificate Physician Assistant/Medical assistant courses with a duration from six months to one year, a Diploma in Physician Assistant with a duration of two years, B.Sc. or UG with four years duration including an internship of one year, PG Diploma Physician Assistant with two years of duration, M.Sc. with two years of duration, and M. Phil/Ph. D have been offered as a paramedical course.
Eligibility Criteria
Admission Process
In general, colleges/universities offer admissions on a merit basis at the higher secondary level. However, some colleges conduct separate entrance tests for admission to this B. Sc. PA program.
Upon completion of the PA graduation program, the aspirants are required to clear the entrance exam called PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination) at the national level to be registered as a professional Physician Assistant or Associate. The NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants) conducts this PANCE computer-based exam for PA aspirants to continue their career as qualified Physician Associates. These aspirants need to take the PANRE (Physician Assistant National Recertifying Examination) once every three months or three times a year. The pattern of the exam includes English, GK, current affairs, biology, diseases, disorders, and treatment methods.
Physician Assistant Course curriculum in UG/PG includes Cell and Molecular Biology, Paediatrics and Geriatrics, Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Introduction to Surgery, Nutrition and Dietetics, Introduction to Computers, Technical Writing, Community and Public Health, Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Medicine, Pharmacology, Molecular Genetics, Pathophysiology, Neurology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Clinical Decision Making, Clinical Microbiology, Practical – Physician Assistant, and In-service Training.Institutions Offering Physician Assistant Programs in India
MMM College of Health Sciences
Affiliated to the Dr. MGR Medical University in Tamil Nadu, MMM College of Health Sciences, a unit of Madras Medical Mission, is the pioneer offering the UG program in Physician Assistant/Associate providing didactic clinical training in variable settings for the aspirants. They have been trained in outpatient wards, CCU, OR, and super specialty units such as cardiology, cardiac surgery, pulmonology, nephrology, neurology, gastroenterology, urology, obstetrics & gynaecology, endocrinology, catheterization labs, organ transplant units, and trauma care, etc.
Aspirants may visit the official website of the MMM College of Health Sciences for further information.Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
A dynamic program known as Bachelor of Physician Associate (B.PA) at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, which is affiliated with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has been offered for aspiring healthcare providers. These Physician Associates play a pivotal role in assisting the physicians of various medical specialties. The aspirants may visit the official portal of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham for further information.Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women
In association with the G. Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital and D.J. Academy, the Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women in Coimbatore conducts the Physician Assistant program and admission based on the qualifying higher secondary examination results. This B.Sc. in PA program is a four-year paramedical course, and the candidates are required to be from the science stream in the higher secondary.
Check the official website for further details: Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women. The applicants can find the details regarding this UG course on the admissions page with Allied Healthcare and Sciences (self-financed) programs offered.
Apart from the above premier institutions, which initiated the Physician Assistant program decades back, a few other deemed universities offer this in-demand course, and they are as follows:
The IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University), Sumandeep Vidyapeeth located in the State of Gujarat, and Om Sterling Global University in Haryana offer Diploma/PG Diploma courses in the Physician Assistant/Medical Assistant program.Career Scope for Physician Assistants in India
Career prospects for a Physician Assistant are aplenty since this course has been newfangled and emerged as of seeking great importance in the allied healthcare sciences/services. In addition, this program as a paramedical science has been recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in India and has tremendous scope in a country like India with a huge population. The Physician Assistants play an active role in various departments of the medical field such as surgery, outpatient wing, cardiac anaesthesia, etc in which they also work as perfusionist, catheterization labs, coronary care units, intensive care units, organ transplant wing, trauma care, orthopaedics and rehabilitation unit, and nuclear medicine. This program enables the graduates to avail of job placements in medical software establishments, pharmaceutical companies, the medical devices industry, medical insurance, and tourism as well. Besides, the physician assistants may work as coordinators to take up several clinical trials. To serve as a general physician assistant in ambulances, fire and police rescue squads, aeroplanes, and helicopters, they have been eligible. Above all, abroad opportunities are numerous to be engaged as medical technologists, cardiac technicians, case managers, research assistants, and so on in various foreign countries like the USA, Canada, and Britain.
With the healthcare sector ever-expanding, projecting more employment opportunities, and if you are interested in a career of playing a pivotal role in patient care, then the undergraduate degree as a Physician Assistant/Associate has been an opt choice. The various job profiles available in the market for a career in physician assistance are dieticians, medical assistants, ortho physician assistants, drug safety associates, personal health guides, etc. Physician Assistants are trained as highly skilled paramedics and well-educated about the modern equipment in hospitals and healthcare clinics with the upcoming trends in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. The workload of the PAs though initially challenging has become effortless with trending modern methods of diagnosis and treatment. Improvisation of medical technology such as electronic medical records for systematic maintenance of the patient's history, wellness apps to track their health at timely intervals, telehealth consultation, and the latest software devices largely ease their career.Abroad Prospects for PAs
With its evolution and a strong base in the US, this physician assistant program has huge prospects abroad in European countries such as Germany, Netherlands, Scotland, England, also South Africa, Canada, and Australia apart from the United States. These are the best countries to study abroad for Indians for PA programs. If one has been wondering what career paths would help to acquire a job overseas, a PA program might be a good choice, especially in America.Physician AssistantPA programs and Career Scope in the USA
From the ARC-PA point of view (Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, a professional accrediting agency in the US), qualified healthcare providers such as MDs, PAs, Nurses, etc., from other countries are treated equally in the United States of America irrespective of their degree. Aspirants to practice as a PA in the United States must graduate from an ARC-PA entry-level accredited program and be certified by the NCCPA (National Commission on Certifying of Physician Assistants). Interested applicants should contact the PAEA (Physician Assistant Education Association) for information on specific programs or through the ARC-PA website
The aspirants need to have a four-year UG degree in healthcare science courses. He/she must apply to ARC-PA accredited programs (Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant). Then he/she is required to complete a two-year PG degree in PA from an accredited institution. Finally, the aspirant should clear the PANCE licensing exam to practice as a PA in any of the US healthcare clinics/hospitals.
Useful Resources-
For information on accreditation of Physician Assistant programs, the applicants may visit the website of ARC-PA.
For information on PA programs, they may contact the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA): https://paeaonline.org
For the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) details are available on the NCCPA website: http://www.nccpa.net
Additional information on practising as a Physician Assistant in the US will be available at the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) website: https://www.aapa.org
Top US Universities offering Physician Assistant programsPhysician Assistant programs in Canada
This promising Physician Assistant concept is trending currently in Canada and this program has been offered at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, the University of Toronto, and the Canadian Forces Health Services Training Centre. The duration of the program is 24-25 months.
Canadian Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA) is a professional governing body of Physician Assistants in Canada and the Canadian PA certification exam known as the PA Cert Exam has been conducted to maintain the certification with the completion of 40 credits yearly and to complete a minimum of 25 credits in each part of the Maintenance of Certification Program before the end of the cycle. The Physician Assistant Certification Council of Canada (PACCC) has been responsible for national certification examinations and registration.
Once the Physician Assistant graduates have completed an accredited PA program in Canada, they need not take up the PA Entry to Certification Exam conducted by the PACCC and they are assigned as Canadian Certified Physician Assistants.
The American-certified PAs are eligible to work in Canada and they don't need to complete a Physician Assistant program in Canada to practice.Physician Assistant programs In the UK
Known as Physician Associates, the PAs in the UK have been the professionals associated with the Faculty of Physician Associates (FPA) of the Royal College of Physicians. They need to undergo the UK PA certification exam called Physician Associate National Certification and Recertification examination. To maintain the certification, (empowered by the Physician Associate Managed Voluntary Register (PAMVR)) physician associates must take the recertification exam once in six years and they are allowed to have three attempts to clear the certification examination. After completion of the national certification exam, they should register on the Physician Associate Managed Voluntary Register to practice provided they are members of the FPA.
Once again, the American Physician Assistants, who have been already NCCPA-certified are eligible to become a member of the PAMVR without undergoing the examination process in the UK.
Some popular universities offering PA programs in the United KingdomPhysician Assistant programs in Australia
The Physician Assistant career is yet to flourish in Australia and this program has been offered in a couple of universities namely, James Cook University and the University of Queensland in Australia. The universities offer a three-year Bachelor of Health Science program (PA).
The aspirants must have a B.Sc. degree in Physician Assistant from a recognized institution. They should complete a two-year accredited program with 100 hours of education/training to become a Physician Assistant in Australia and clear the PA certifying exam to get a license to practice as a Physician Assistant in Australia. They are required to undergo a recertification exam every two years. Those who are from non-English speaking regions must clear the English language examination. The Australian Society of Physician Assistants is a nationally registered organization providing a professional manifestation for the PAs to be incorporated into the healthcare sector in Australia.Bottomline
Despite new schemes and projects being devised to create more employment opportunities at the national level, a bright, versatile paramedical study program rendering great job potential has been unnoticed by the Indian student community. Though various institutions provide numerous jobs in this life science career the outbound PA graduates are indeed from the southern part of the country, it should be mentioned. From the government's standpoint, the formal accreditation process in establishing this allied healthcare science is still lagging in my perception. Though the National Initiative for Allied Health Sciences Task Force (PA) under the domain of the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was formulated in the middle of the last decade it still seems to be a long-term vision to create a council for PA governance. More government and private universities/institutional setups must be required to look for the utmost recognition of the program. Let us hope that the National Education Policy 2020 will bring forth such transformation in this demanding career in the future.
This is really a good information. But i don't think that this course is being recognised by UGC and govt of India. They should encourage medical colleges and universities to run this course in India. Many students are unaware of this course.