How long to be PA? Do you need a Masters?

[Stevens_Solstice]

Hello I was wondering if you need a masters to become a PA. I know that many PA's get a masters to be qualified faster and get into medical training quicker but is that mandatory? My question is really if it takes 4 years or 6 years because I'm in a program that is covering for my school and they are only willing to cover up to bachelor degrees. I also live in in Florida if that is a factor.

Thanks

Steven.

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[pamac]

Almost all PA programs award a masters degree these days. A rare few offer a bachelors degree, and fewer still offer a PA associates degree. There might still be a certificate program out there, but I'm not sure.

Most PA programs require applicants to have bachelors degrees before applying to get into their PA schools to get the masters degree in physician assisting. After you get your PA masters degree, you take your certification exam, and then can start practicing as a physician assistant.

So it sounds like you have funding available for you to get a bachelors degree. In your case, you would use that money to pay for a bachelors degree like a biology degree for example. Once you have that bachelors degree (and it doesn't have to be in biology, but you do need to have completed the prerequisite courses that PA schools require) then you apply to PA school to get the masters degree in PA. Many times that takes basically 6 years total to become a PA (4 years for your undergraduate bachelors degree, and 2 years of PA school to get the masters degree in PA so you can practice).

 

[Stevens_Solstice]

Almost all PA programs award a masters degree these days. A rare few offer a bachelors degree, and fewer still offer a PA associates degree. There might still be a certificate program out there, but I'm not sure.

Most PA programs require applicants to have bachelors degrees before applying to get into their PA schools to get the masters degree in physician assisting. After you get your PA masters degree, you take your certification exam, and then can start practicing as a physician assistant.

So it sounds like you have funding available for you to get a bachelors degree. In your case, you would use that money to pay for a bachelors degree like a biology degree for example. Once you have that bachelors degree (and it doesn't have to be in biology, but you do need to have completed the prerequisite courses that PA schools require) then you apply to PA school to get the masters degree in PA. Many times that takes basically 6 years total to become a PA (4 years for your undergraduate bachelors degree, and 2 years of PA school to get the masters degree in PA so you can practice).

Oh, I thought the two years after my bachelors was the training That I would get in medical school. My school offers a program to get a masters degree in PA so perhaps I can make an arrangement where they can cover up to my bachelors and I can cover the rest. Hopefully I can do that. I see now that getting a masters is probably the best thing for me it seems.