There Are A Total Of 9 Accredited Physician Assistant Programs In California
Choosing a Physician Assistant Program in California that perfectly suits you is much easier than other states because there are a total of nine accredited PA Programs by the ARC-PA. In all the States, California is ranked in the third place as to the number of existing accredited PA Programs, with New York and Pennsylvania taking the top two spots. The varying programs give out different awards or level of certification to candidates. The highest so far is a Master’s Degree, followed by a Bachelor’s Degree, then an Associate’s Degree, with a Certificate down the line. Different schools require different qualifications for candidates to be eligible to enter their PA Programs. Some require an applicant to have undertaken two years or more worth of college credits. You might even stumble upon a school in California which requires applicants to have had direct contact with patients for a certain amount of hours. There are schools that also require one to reach a certain GPA before being allowed admittance. It is considered by any school offering the program that having a previous health care experience to be an advantage for any applicant.
Accredited Physician Assistant Programs In California:
Foothill College
Loma Linda University
Moreno Valley College
Samuel Merritt University
Stanford University
Touro University California
University of California – Davis
University of Southern California
Western University of Health Sciences
Prerequisites for California Physician Assistant Programs
The Top Rated Physician Assistant Programs In California
Locum Tenens Physician Assistant
License Requirements for Physician Assistants in California
Successfully completing an accredited Physician Assistant Program in California does not automatically entitle one to become a full-fledged physician assistant. The Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination must be taken and passed before one can legally practice the profession and use the title of Physician Assistant-Certified. Though different States have varying laws that govern the practice of the profession, passing the examination is a common requirement. After being certified, all PA’s must undergo continuing education of at least a hundred hours every two years. Once in every six years, they are also required to either hurdle a re-certification test or to take a take-home examination after completing one alternative program.
California Schools and Universities With Top Physician Assistant Programs
One of the oldest universities in California offering programs for physician assistants is the University of Southern California (USC). The University is a well-known private research university. There are several branches offered by the University in their PA program, including research, public health and of course medicine. The program of this University has a thirty-three month period. They require that applicants have at least a bachelor’s degree and have undertaken courses in human anatomy, biology and chemistry. One PA school in California conducts classroom lectures, which include counseling and preventive health care, together with clinical training. This school is Foothill College which also includes family clinical medicine, special clinical projects, family medicine didactic and primary care medicine as courses in its curriculum for the program for PAs.
Being a successful PA involves a lot of preparation even before starting out in one of the Physician Assistant Programs in California. Choosing and entering a school that offers excellent physician assistant programs is just one step. Preparing yourself by understanding the job and what it takes to accomplish all the duties and responsibilities is equally important.