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Discussion

physician's assistant

I am currently a CNA and was thinking about going to college for a physician's assistant. I did a little research and came to realize it would help if I had a previous job involving medicine. So I'm thinking about going to school to become a LPN. If I like it, I can stay or move up to RN. But, after becoming an LPN [[if this is what I decide]] and want to go farther and go for the P.A., what courses would I need to take? Basically, I'm looking for any information at all about p.a. dealing with job tasks, courses, colleges [[perferably in Indiana]], anything I can get.

Thank you!

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    • Experts

    If becoming a PA is your goal, you'd save time by skipping the LPN and RN. PAs are a part of the medical model, not the nursing model.

    Earn a BS degree in biology, then use this degree as a prerequisite to enter a PA program.

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    • Author

    thank you both for the replies. Ok, I get kind of confused when it comes to some things. Hypathetically speaking, if I wanted to go to Butler college for the PA course, should I get my bachelor's degree in biology first? That way if I apply at Butler, I can say "hey, here's my degree in biology". Right? Or did you mean biology is a course I should take during the p.a. course?

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    • Experts
    thank you both for the replies. Ok, I get kind of confused when it comes to some things. Hypathetically speaking, if I wanted to go to Butler college for the PA course, should I get my bachelor's degree in biology first? That way if I apply at Butler, I can say "hey, here's my degree in biology". Right? Or did you mean biology is a course I should take during the p.a. course?

    Do you understand that most PA programs result in a masters degree? A prerequisite to getting into most masters degree programs involves having a BA or BS degree first. You'll usually need a BS degree in biology or some other challenging science major before applying to a PA program. Simply taking 1 biology class to get admitted into a masters-level program will not cut it. You'll need a degree.

    It is important for you to place telephone calls to the PA programs that interest you to see what their requirements and prerequisites are.

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    • Author

    Yes, I do understand that. The P.A. course at Butler University is 5 years.. I know that results in a master's degree. And I never meant one class..I knew what you meant when you said B.S. degree..it's a degree..not one class. All I was asking was if I needed it before I applied for a P.a. course or during..which you already answered that I'd probably need it first.

    And I have contacted the school to ask some of my questions. That's one step I always do.

  • Quote
    Do you understand that most PA programs result in a masters degree? A prerequisite to getting into most masters degree programs involves having a BA or BS degree first. You'll usually need a BS degree in biology or some other challenging science major before applying to a PA program. Simply taking 1 biology class to get admitted into a masters-level program will not cut it. You'll need a degree.

    It is important for you to place telephone calls to the PA programs that interest you to see what their requirements and prerequisites are.

    My friend just graduated from UC Davis. She does not have a masters; she only needed her AS to apply, plus the pre-reqs she graduated with a certificate, not a masters or even a bachelors. She takes her exam next month to get her license/credentials.

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    • Experts
    My friend just graduated from UC Davis. She does not have a masters; she only needed her AS to apply, plus the pre-reqs she graduated with a certificate, not a masters or even a bachelors. She takes her exam next month to get her license/credentials.
    My original post stated that most PA programs result in a masters degree. I'm aware that not all PA programs are masters-level.
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    Bottom line is no....do not become a nurse because that will only distract you from your goal. Probably 99.9999% of practicing PAs were never nurses and are doing just fine.

    Follow the path to become a PA and skip nursing.

    Good luck!!!

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