The document discusses the author's career choice to become a physician assistant. It summarizes the author's interest in science and medicine from a young age. The author has chosen to pursue a career as a physician assistant due to the job growth, ability to work in multiple healthcare settings, and opportunity to help others. The document also provides details on the history and typical requirements of physician assistant programs.

1. Career Research
Health 4190
Ms. Kathleen Meyer
5/18/15
Auldin Reynolds

2. Career Choice
• I first decided I wanted to go into the medical field at
the age of 12. Science was my passion in school and I
was especially fascinated with how the human body
worked. Being able to apply that knowledge to cure
others seems like a major positive for my life. I have
recently decided on the profession of physician
assistant because of the great job growth and the
ability to be multi-dimensional. Physician assistants
can work in many different facets of health care
when they graduate. This is important to me because
I am not sure what specific area I would like to enter
yet. I believe that the career choice will be a great
one for my life.

3. History of Physician Assistants
• Created to improve and expand healthcare
• Mid 1960’s- shortage of general practitioners
• Naval men returning from the Vietnam War were
positioned to become the first PA’s because of their
extensive medical backgrounds
• First ever PA class graduated from Duke University in
1967
• PA school was based on fast track programs used for
medical personnel in World War II
• Today the profession has seen an enormous boom and
is recognized in all 50 states

4. Physician Assistant School 1- Baylor
College of Medicine
• Minimum GPA required- 3.0
• Average GPA of applicants- 3.7
• Hours of Patient Contact Care Required- 0
• GRE score required- 153 (verbal), 144
(quantitative)
• Number of Letters of Recommendation- 3
• Specific Requirement- Basic Life Support
Certification needed
• Application deadline- TBA
• Tuition per year- $31,471

5. Physician Assistant School 2-
Philadelphia University
• Minimum GPA required- 3.25
• Hours of Patient Contact Care Required- 200
• GRE score required- not specified
• Number of letters of recommendation- 3
• Specific Requirement- Medical Terminology
class required
• Application Deadline- 9/1/15
• Tuition per year- $39,510

6. Physician Assistant School 3- Nova
Southeastern University (Orlando)
• Minimum GPA required- 3.0
• Hours of patient contact care required- 0
• GRE score required- not specified
• Number of letters of recommendation- 3
• Specific Requirements- Basic Life Support
certification needed
• Application Deadline- 12/1/15
• Tuition per year- not specified

7. Physician Assistant School 4- Butler
University
• Minimum GPA required- 3.4
• Hours of patient contact required- 0
• GRE score required- 300
• Number of letters of recommendation- 2
• Specific requirements- none
• Application deadline- 8/1/15
• Tuition per year- $40,000

8. Physician Assistant School 5- Elon
University
• Minimum GPA required- 3.2
• Average GPA of applicants- 3.6
• Hours of patient contact required- 250
• GRE score required- 297
• Number of letters of recommendation- 3
• Specific requirements- none
• Application deadline- 11/1/15
• Tuition per year- $35,720

9. Why Physician Assistant?
• Average Salary- $92,970
• Growth rate- 38% (faster than average)
• Less time than a MD spent in school
• Less money than a MD spent on school
• Work as a team rather than independent
• Not as much liability
• Can choose any specialty of healthcare to
work in after being certified

10. My Relevant Traits
• Responsible
• Competitive
• Social
• Desire to learn
• Cooperative
• Ambitious
• Motivated

11. O*Net Profile
• Top interest- Investigative
– This fits with my career as a physician assistant as it means I like
to explore and learn about the human body. I am not content
with sitting around, and I like to always continue learning.
• Second highest interest- Social
– Being social is a huge part of working in the healthcare field.
Having this interest in my top two fits really well because I want
to be able to socialize and make patients feel welcome.
• Job Zone- 5
– Being in job zone 5 means that I need extensive preparation to
be able to fill my career goals. This job zone is a good fit for me
because I will have to get my master’s degree at an accredited
physician assistant school.

12. Backup Plan
• Take a couple years off and get my
phlebotomy certification
• Save money and gain more valuable patient
contact hours
• Re-apply for physician assistant schools when
the time comes

13. Conclusion and Thoughts
• Overall, I think I would be an excellent fit to be
a physician assistant. I love working in a team
environment and I would love the opportunity
to be able to use science to help people. Being
committed and cooperative, as well as having
good social skills would make me a valuable
asset to any medical team. The job has a great
outlook salary and growth wise and seems like
a perfect fit for me. I cannot wait to get
started with physician assistant school and be
able to start reaching my goals.

14. Works Cited
• “Summary.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Web. 18 May 2015.
• “Physician Assistant Program.” Baylor College of Medicine. Web. 18
May 2015.
• “Physician Assistant Studies.” Philadelphia University. Web. 18 May
2015.
• “Physician Assistant Program- Orlando.” Nova Southeastern
University. Web. 18 May 2015.
• “Admissions.” Butler University. Web. 18 May 2015
• “Admissions Information.” Elon University. Web. 18 May 2015
• “History of the Profession.” Physician
Associate Program. 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 May
2015.