Alhussainy 1

Kouther Alhussainy

Professor Hellmers

ENG 1201

12 July 2021

How can I become a physician assistant and go the OBGYN route and specifically
become an OBGYN Physician assistant?

A physician assistant is a medical professional who practices medicine on teams with

Physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals. The need for physician assistants has
only been increasing throughout the years and the variety of specialties that require physician
assistants has also been growing rapidly throughout the years. One route that can be taken is the
OBGYN route. OB-GYN is a combination of obstetrics (pregnancy) and gynecology (female
reproductive health) and this route is the one I am interested in.

The concept of a physician assistant was originally created in the mid-1960s because of
the shortage of Physicians overall. Large numbers of insufficient staff shortage and growing
demands for healthcare has caused a spike in the need for Physician Assistants(Howarth). Today
according to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, 100,000 certified
physician assistants work in the United States today(Physician Assistant Career Information).
Physician assistants play a vital role in healthcare today and they can be found in Many places
like physicians offices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, and other Healthcare settings (“Physician
Assistants : Occupational Outlook Handbook.”). The need for physician assistants is expected to
rise dramatically over the coming years and all places including the United States and the
UK(Howarth).

To become a physician assistant many things are needed. one thing that is needed is a
bachelor's degree in a subject of science. Another thing that is needed to become a physician
assistant is a certain number of hours of clinical experience with patients. Also another thing that
is required is examination of a GRE and a qualifying score must be obtained. All of these steps
will qualify you for admissions to a physician assistant program for licensing. After that you
must have attained a physician assistant certification. To become certified, students have to take
and pass the physician assistant national certification exam (PANCE). Then students will have to
send their applications to the state they would like to practice in to receive full licensing
(Physician Assistant Career Information).

To become an OB-GYN physician assistants an associate's degree or more commonly a

bachelor's degree is required. Experience in the medical field is also very important, such as
 Alhussainy 2

nurse aide, phlebotomist, paramedic or home health aide. All this is usually needed to get into a
physician assistant school. Once a student is accepted into a program they will take science
classes such as pathology, human anatomy, physiology, clinical medicine, pharmacology,
physical diagnosis, and medical ethics. While their students will also complete clinical rotations
in Hospitals and Clinics. Physician assistant programs also usually require students to complete
around 2,000 hours of clinical experience in many specialties such as pediatrics, general surgery,
and emergency medicine (“PA Options: Working in Obstetrics and Gynecology).

Physician assistants today work in a variety of specialties one being obstetrics and
gynecology. Physician assistants in this specialty deal with a variety of situations that come up
with pregnancies and with women's issues. An OB-GYN physician assistant works under the
supervision of doctors and performs many duties which are very much similar to the duties of an
obstetrician or gynecologist. OB-GYN physician assistants perform and assist with things like
pelvic exams, breast exams, prenatal care, menopause management, ultrasounds, and delivering
babies (How to Become an OBGYN Assistant). OB-GYN physician assistants can also order
diagnostic tests such as scans, mammograms and lab work. OB-GYN physician assistants can
also make a diagnosis and provide treatment recommendations and educate patients on certain
issues and situations (“PA Options: Working in Obstetrics and Gynecology).

An average physician assistant made $115,390 in may 2020. The lowest 10% of
physician assistants earned 76,7000 and the highest 10% earned $162,470. Her OB-GYN
physician assistant would make more towards the high end of this scale given the specialty of an
OB-GYN. Most physician assistants work full time but part-time positions are available and
most OB-GYN physician assistants also work full time with posible part-time positions.
Physician assistant and OB-GYN physician assistant work days, nights, weekends, holidays, and
can be on call (“Physician Assistants : Occupational Outlook Handbook.”).

There are many steps to becoming a physician assistant including lots of classes and
many exams, but it's not something difficult if you put your mind to it and focus on the task at
hand. Becoming an OB-GYN physician assistant doesn't take much more than is required. To
become an ob-gyn physician assistant a little more training in that specialty is required.
 Alhussainy 3

Works Cited

Howarth, Sarah D., et al. “The Early Experiences of Physician Associate Students in the UK: A
Regional Cross-Sectional Study Investigating Factors Associated with Engagement.”
PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 5, 2020, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0232515.

“PA Options: Working in Obstetrics and Gynecology: Global Pre.” Meds, 12 Dec. 2014,
www.globalpremeds.com/2014/12/12/physician-assistants-options-working-in-obstetric
s-and-gynecology/.

“Physician Assistant Requirements Education.” Physician Assistant Education |, 9 Mar. 2017,

www.physicianassistantedu.org/.

“Physician Assistants : Occupational Outlook Handbook.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9 Apr. 2021,
www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physician-assistants.htm#tab-1.

“Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers.” Study.com |
Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers,
study.com/articles/How_to_Become_an_OBGYN_Assistant.html.