Orthopedic Pa Job Description

Post-graduate Physician Assistant Jobs in Orthopedics

After graduating from the program, you will have the chance to specialize in orthopedics. PAs can take part in post-graduate programs in the specialty so they can get paid while they learn a specialty field. An orthopedic surgery PA works in an office that sees patients on a daily basis.

The PA works in an operating room or a hospital when surgery is involved. Follow ups with patients can be done at the hospital or office. Medical settings expose you to potential dangers, such as pathogens.

The job of working in orthopedics can be draining and can still have a risk of diseases. PAs spend most of their day on their feet, moving from patient to patient or standing in surgery. The projected job growth for the physician assistant field is 37 percent, which is much faster than the average growth for all career fields.

The Benefits of Working with an Orthopaedic Physician Assistant

As an orthopedic physician assistant, you'll deal with bones, joints, muscles and ligaments. Physician assistants are health-care professionals who work under the supervision of a doctor. The American Academy of Physician Assistants says that 61 percent of PAs are female in 2010, so you should find lots of colleagues who understand the working woman.

The average annual salary of PAs in the US was $92,460 in 2012 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Physician assistants spend about two-thirds of their time in school, according to the Physician Assistants in Orthopaedic Surgery. A PA learns her specialty while working with an orthopedic surgeon and continuing her education after about 112 weeks of primary-care training.

OPAs in the field of orthopedic surgery

Physician assistants in the team provide medical care under the supervision of the surgeon. Their work includes performing exams, interpreting tests, and helping the surgeon in surgery. PAs in the field of orthopedics work in both the hospital and the outpatient setting.

Physician assistants in the same profession as orthopedic physician assistants are very different professions. PAs have broad training and work with physicians in any specialty. Medicare and Medicaid providers recognize them as providers of healthcare, and all U.S. jurisdiction licenses them.

They work as surgical assistants orthopedic technologists after receiving their training. The practice of OPAs is largely unregulated. Only Tennessee and New York have OPA Practice Acts.

A Guide to Become an Orthopedic Physician Assistant

You're interested in becoming an orthopedic physician assistant, but you're not sure where to start. We've put together a guide to help you with your questions about becoming an OPA. Physician assistants in orthopedics are not the same as physician assistants in the other side of the body.

The scope of practice for an OPA is more limited than that of PA. Regular physician assistants are trained in general medicine, while the OPAs are trained in orthopedic surgery. Candidates interested in becoming an OPA should have a basic understanding of orthopedic medicine and be able to perform under stress.

A typical day in the life of an orthopedic physician assistant requires a good attitude towards patients and their families, as well as fellow co-workers. A nurse practitioners program, primary care physician assistant program, orthopedic physician assistant program are all sufficient in the preparation of launching a student's career as an OPA. The American Medical Association stopped accrediting OPA programs in 1974.

Graduates in other programs will need experience in orthopedics to be certified. The 75-question test can be taken at computer-based testing centers. The exam covers the treatment options for the Musculoskeletal System.