Petersons - Master the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam

Petersons Master the
PANRE
2013 About Petersons Publishing To succeed on your lifelong educational journey, you will need accurate, dependable, and practical tools and resources. That is why Petersons is everywhere education happens. Because whenever and however you need education content delivered, you can rely on Petersons to provide the information, know-how, and guidance to help you reach your goals. Tools to match the right students with the right school. Its here. Its here. Its here.

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Contents PART I: PART II: PART III: PART IV: PART V: Before You Begin Overview Congratulations on your decision to maintain your certification as a physician assistant (PA). By purchasing and using this guide, you are taking a very important step to furthering your career accomplishments. Master the Physician Assistant National Recertification Examination (PANRE) will help you to prepare for this important test so that you may attain your best possible score and continue to practice as a certified physician assistant. Working as a Physician Assistant Physician assistants are medical professionals formally trained and certified to provide medical and surgical services under a supervising physician or surgeon. As members of an organizations healthcare team, physician assistants provide a broad range of healthcare services to patients as regulated by state law and the supervising physician. They conduct physical exams, take medical histories, diagnose and treat illnesses, counsel patients, order and interpret laboratory tests, assist with surgeries, provide therapy, and prescribe medications.

There are many career pathways available for physician assistants. Some PAs work in the field of primary care, including family medicine, pediatrics, and internal medicine. Others are employed in specialty areas such as emergency medicine, geriatrics, orthopedics, and general and thoracic surgery. Physician assistants working in surgical units care for preoperative and postoperative patients or help surgeons as first or second assistants. PAs may also work for health maintenance organizations, public and private colleges and universities, and various government agencies. Physician assistants practice autonomous decision making delegated by a physician to provide high-quality, professional medical care.

Depending upon the workplace, some physician assistants have managerial responsibilities such as overseeing the work of medical technicians and ordering medical equipment and supplies. In some rural or inner-city facilities, physicians may not be on site or may only be available a limited number of hours. In these types of workplaces, physician assistants serve as principle care providers and confer with the supervising physician as needed. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment prospects for physician assistants look very strong over the next decade. The field has seen dramatic growth in the past few years, and by 2018, jobs for physician assistants are expected to increase by 39 percent.

As the healthcare industry continues to expand and associated costs continue to rise, healthcare providers are hiring more physician assistants to perform routine medical duties once performed exclusively by physicians. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, a shortage of nearly 150,000 physicians is expected in the United States over the next 15 years. As certified healthcare professionals, physician assistants are expected to help narrow this gap and provide needed medical services as part of an organizations professional healthcare team. Becoming a Physician Assistant All states require prospective physician assistants to complete a formal education program at an accredited institution and pass a national examthe Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) for initial certification, and the Physician Assistant National Recertification Examination (PANRE) for recertification or certification maintenance. Both exams are administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Only graduates of accredited physician assistant education programs are eligible to take these exams.

Most PA education programs take at least two years to complete for full-time students and require a bachelors degree for admission. Admission to these programs is highly competitive, and most programs have prerequisites such as chemistry, anatomy, biology, microbiology, and physiology. Programs are structured on the basis of medical school curriculum, combining both classroom and clinical instruction. PA education programs are challenging and require intensive study. On average, programs take about 27 months to complete. In addition to a college degree, many applicants to PA programs have experience in the healthcare field as emergency medical technicians, registered nurses, or paramedics.