So You Want to Be a PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT [Ep. 17] 

the disadvantages he listed are actually appealing to me... i hate making decisions 😭

*So you want to be an engineer* Kevin: “the biggest downside is you will not be performing surgery”

The way all the “cons” are literally things I’m ok with 😭👍🏿

- Limited role and responsibility - Less prestige If anything that's an advantage bro 🤣 being called a doctor only sounds nice but the lifestyle of a doctor is only for people with courage and determination.

This has to be a sign I was just thinking about being a PA over MD and I asked GOD to lead me in the right direction and I guess I have my answer 😭

_SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY PA'S! WE LOVE YOU!!!_

I wish y’all stop rushing him about doing “so you want to be” he’s busy and trying his best to get to all them!🙄🤦🏾‍♀️

As a PA student, I have to say that I expected these comments to be a lot more negative, especially on a Medical School/Physician - focused channel. I'm loving the positivity towards the many roles on the healthcare team and I hope that many of us folks currently in school & new grads continue to foster a culture of respect and friendly competition amongst all healthcare professions, especially the diagnosing + prescribing folks. We would be able to change our professions for the better if we all worked to build each other up as hard as we did to get into school, through it, and practice!

Thanks so much for sharing this with us! THIS was a perfect description of what we PAs do!👍🏾 I have been a Physician Assistant for twenty years and currently work Hospitalist PA in Washington, D.C. It's a GREAT profession for many people! You MAY at times, feel like a "perpetual intern"😩. AND, if you want the FULL autonomy and "prestige" (if you're into that type of thing👑😤🎩) of the "top" person in the health care field, "Physician" is the way to go. However, I can tell anyone that I have TRULY enjoyed my 2 decades of PA experience. Thanks again, Dr. Kevin Jubbal.

Hi! I am a new grad neurosurgery PA. Thanks so much for giving us some spotlight. 20/10 satisfied with my career choice as are most of my colleagues. 💯💯

I’ve been torn between PA and MD for so long, it’s exhausting. I go back and forth, back and forth. I could see myself doing both.

Praying I am able to get into a PA master's program as I finish my health sciences bachelor's degree!

*_Thankful for all the wonderful PA's!_*

Physician assistants function much like doctors. They examine patients, diagnose diseases, prescribe medicines, and write referrals to specialists. However, these professionals must work under a medical doctor's supervision.👍

THIS. IS. MY. D R E A M. JOBBBBBB THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

Love a medical profile that covers the topic of PAs with respect. The only downside I saw with becoming a PA when I was applying was how negative a lot of the physicians viewed PAs and I was so scared that I would be doomed to being some doctor’s b*tch while getting no credit or respect. I wish doctors understood that people who chose PA did it because that role fit their career and lifestyle goals and to still make a huge difference, not to undermine the importance of physicians. Most of us WANT someone above us. I promise we are not trying to take your spot or pretend to be doctors.

Yea, I noticed a few inconsistencies in this video but its okay. Yes, on call almost a guarantee, esp. if your working a hospital or surgical setting. I did not want to cause any controversies but there are many grey areas that were covered in this concise video. My best recommendation if considering this field, be sure to do your homework, and ask PA's; as even though PA have and must try to maintain such a broad knowledge of medicine; it can widely vary between each PA depending on their practicing State, scope of practice, years of experience etc... Some PA will never go into surgery post grad. Therefore, their surgery background was limited (ended) after rotations were completed. For example, depending on how much surgery background one has under their belt; PA can play a big role in the surgical aspect. He made it seem as if PA only do the things listed. However, surgery and PA scope of practice is a massive grey area. A lot also varies in the State (USA) a PA practices, scope of practice, physicians expectations, experience etc... Also, 2-2.5 years of school is because its accelerated. Nowadays, most schools have began to adopt this accelerated model into their program. People need to remember that its 3 years worth of school in 2-2.5 years without summer breaks. Meaning, you go all year with very little breaks. Trust me when I say, you do not want to fall behind during this program. Also, PA initially have superficial knowledge over nearly all aspects of medicine, but once they specialize; PA must then gain a deep, extensive, and vast knowledge of that particular specialty. This is where the Lifelong Residency he was referring to in the video. Also, physicians only requires a re-cert board in only the area they practice medicine> However, PA are required to test on all aspects of medicine for re-cert (along with CME hours etc.). This is a big deal. Because if you do not want to maintain extensive knowledge in an area you may not like to learn; it may be better to go that NP or Physician route. Lastly, do not forget about all the exams. In most cases, before a PA can be a licensed/certified PA in their State(USA), PA must also pass a multiple hour board exam covering nearly all aspects of medicine post grad; in addition to that re-cert board exams every 10 years. The re-cert exam is when PA have to retake another similar version the exam they took post grad. This can be difficult because if you specialize i.e.(Orthopedics) for 10 years; and when re-recert comes back around, it may be smart to take a refresher course, as the exam will cover areas of medicine you may not seen in nearly 10 years. There's also multiple hours of continued educational hours one must log in order to maintain board certification and license. Therefore, even though he kindly helps to give everyone a general idea of a particular medical profession, as he did in the video with the PA profession, it is however, hard to cover all those in and outs to any medical profession. Thus, its always recommended to do your homework on the desired profession before dedicating and sacrificing a big chunk of your life to school.

I believe an ongoing struggle for Physicians is the increased administrative/paper work side of things and the decreased patient care exposure. Your followers would love to see which MD/DO specialty has the least amount of paper work compared to the most.

As a PA, we are able and do parts of the surgery besides retracting and suturing. I know many plastic PAs that will do one implant while the doctor does the other. I also know a few that perform organ procurement on their own etc. We also can handle the nuanced more complicated cases in the ICU. Take home point is your PA can do and handle as much as they choose to pursue.

I’m so bad with decision making, but this kind of lifestyle is exactly what I’m looking for! Thank you for making these types of videos ❤️

Congrats on 1 million! You inspire so many students to pursue medicine and make the process so much easier. And it's free, up to date content.

YES!!! Thank you thank you for putting this together--i'm currently one year from applying to PA schools and this perfectly summarised all the pros and cons I put together. You helped me further solidfy why I'm on this path. Thank you!!!

Thank you! I've been waiting for this series! Really appreciate all the hard work you put into these video series!

Can you do a comparison video about nurse practioners vs physician assistant?

Generally good content and accurate, has a 9-year PA in family practice I just wanted to clarify a couple of points: you mentioned that PA's do not follow patient's longitudinally, this is incorrect, it depends on which specialty as in primary care we absolutely follow patients and we have our own panel. I have some patients who have been exclusively seen by me for the last 8 to 9 years for example. As far as taking call overnight this also is something that often is done by a PA. I have been taking call anytime my clinic is closed for the last 5 to 6 years. Lastly, and this is a important pain point for many PA's and nurse practitioners, the term mid-level is demeaning and has been replaced by the more appropriate advanced practice clinician or APC

I have been waiting so long for this video, I am so conflicted between going to medical school or becoming a PA.

Let's be considerate and not rush him to do the episode that applies to you....he is going to get there. It's a step by step process and it takes his take to do it. So let's appreciate him🙏

Super excited for the NP video!! This was very good to know thank you!! 🥰🤩

Yesss! Thank you for making a PA video!

i’ve been waiting for this one TURN IT UPP

Could you do ones on Nurse practitioners, Midwifes, and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists?

Thank you for making this video, Dr. J!

Thank you so much for making this!!!! This was super informative and made things really clear!!!

ive never been so early to anything wow

Been waiting for this one!!!!! Thank you Dr.Jubbal!!

Yes yes yes!! Thank you I've been hoping so much you would make this video! Now I just need the N.P. video 😁😁

My sister is a PA at Kaiser! And she loves it!!

Thankyou, so much for making this video !🔥🩺🤩

Thank you so much for making this video. It's very helpful and insightful, especially since I'm applying to PA school.

Awesome video thanks for sharing all the facts about being a physician assistant. 🙂Keep working hard and wish you a great day.👍☺️

This is actually what I want to go back to school for ! 🙏

Love your videos!! I’ve been following you since high school, and I have learned so much! I will be starting med school next fall! After thinking about neurology and neurosurgery through undergrad, now I am thinking about oncology. I would love to see a video on so you want to be an oncologist. I don’t have a mentor to turn to, and your videos have been so helpful throughout my journey. Thank you so much for everything you do!

Thank you for making this!

love you.. thank you for so detailed explanation on this topic. Helped me a lot to make my decision of choosing my course.

Every Saturday I wake up hoping to see “So You Want To Be A Psychiatrist” and I’m always let down😔 I live in an Eternal Cycle of Pain, nevertheless I won’t give up😤😤😤 We will get the Psychiatrist video if it’s the last thing I do😤✊🏽

Thank you Dr. Jubal for this amazing video. Being a PA sounds great, too bad it’s not available in Australia

THANK YOU for this video!

Wow!! Thank you 🙏🏽 very informational

I'm binge watching your video; They're great!!! Please talk about nontraditional students and medical school. I believe this population group has grown substantially over the past 10-15 years. Thanks 👍🏾

PA do take overnight call

I"VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE!!!

Please do a "So you want to be a Neurologist"

So you want to be a pathologist

Heyyyy big fan of the channel and current 2nd year PA student!

Great video! Can’t wait to see one for nurse practitioners

I would be very interested in a "So you want to be an infectious disease doctor". Thanks for all you do!

Your Videos are always interesting and informative

Would love to see you cover Anesthesiologist Assistant someday, since the field doesn’t receive a lot of attention on social media!

Pathology and Neurology!!! Please!! I beg you! I have been requesting these two for an eternity!

Yessssss been waiting for this video!

This really helped and informed me a lot! Thank you for posting this!

The fact this came out during PA week!!

I hope you can do a video about being a psychologist as well. I'm a fourth year medical student and was considering psychiatry for my residency. On the other hand, as I've learned the field of psychology in my informal research , and talk to several bright psychological practitioners, I've become to be so much curious about the field than I do with psychiatry. I watch you're video about it, and I loved. I hope you can do one solely for psychologists. Thank you

Thanks, this was so helpful!

Yes, I do want to be a PA ! I can’t wait

For clarity and insight, I'm about to graduate PA school in < a month. This is a good intro for those deciding between the varying professions. Ultimately, as he said your decision should be based off your career goals AND the lifestyle you want for yourself. If you're new to healthcare and really want to take care of patients it shouldn't be about prestige, money, and ego IMO. It's also not about who's more intelligent and other things some people in the comments say comparing going PA/NP/physician etc. We should all be working as a team. To note: PAs may have a perceived better work-lifestyle, but that'll be based on the specialty you're in; you can transition between specialties or work in two specialties at the same time, and have more flexibility in your career which I find appealing after years in military medicine and research. Surgery...yes you will always just be a first assist in the OR so if you want to do surgery go to medical and do a surgical residency. You may have more autonomy and experiences in various federal agencies vs private sector, but ultimately the role is the same as a PA. For all the pre-med/health students be sure to do your research. You don't want to realize one profession is not for you and drop out...or go through it and hate your job when you start working. Either way you'll still have to pay back any school loans you take out.

Hi Med School Insiders, I like your content. I love watching your videos.

Yesssss thank you needed this

just in time! I just decided to want to become a PA a couple of days ago, thank you!

omg yes I love your channel and am working on becoming a PA ~when worlds collide~

I am an undergrad with desires of going to PA school this video was so valuable 🙌

THANK YOU FOR THIS

so you want to be a PHYSICAL THERAPIST? Many of my friends are interested

Please make a rheumatologist version! I know it’s not a well-known subspecialty but surely I’m not the only one interested in rheum? Take your time though,this is just a suggestion 🥺 Love all of your videos

AA and CRNA! I'm already in residency but still enjoy these videos

Thanks, this is a very useful information

Now that we're not exclusively doing med school careers, I would really appreciate "So You Want To Be A Dentist" (and orthodontist)

I personally know a PA in cardiac electrophysiology. There is PA for every subspecialties.

Waiting for ep about physical rehab and medicine, thanks so much

Sounds really good!

I would like to add that in my experience in the ER, PA's act completely autonomously with supervising Physicians a phone-call away. But all diagnostics, prescriptions and care plans are decided on by mid-level providers. (This is in a fast track area not the entire Emergency Room). I think it is to be considered that there is more autonomy in some specialties than in others.

never thought youd do a PA!!!! nice!!!!!

There are many different providers within health care, value discussions and various streams and pools of influence help to bridge gaps in care. When we consider the back end connections of how systems work and how truly valuable expertise is, the Value propositions shift some. For instance, PA's are able to help with a lot of collaborative needs... social workers and translational medicine concepts add value to those realities. The concept of finite need or finite resources isn't exactly accurate. The spheres of influence shift as better understandings grow. I was fortunate enough to see some great doctors, nurses, PA's, social workers, on and on.... when the career of caring takes the shape of understanding the larger "cogs"; the conversation brightens. Doctors and the decades of training can never be undercut in estimation, but the needs of connections and positive feedback loops while strengthening patient care... these understandings illuminate a lot. I'm always in awe of providers...

Great video! So many of our students are so confused about different pathways, thank you!

"So you want to be an OBGYN"

Do "So You Want to Be a plague doctor" for halloween!

im happy enough to save a patient life i dont need praise but i know that i helped alot .

That’s was great. I hate to make decisions. That’s why this might be for me. Can you please do a video like this for health informatics

Can you do a video on Anesthesiologist Assistants please?

Just a heads up that they changed the title from Physician Assistant to Physician Associate!

Ima start school in two weeks so I can get started on being a PA I’m a medical assistant at the moment but want to progress and I love my job and helping people .

I love this channel, I’m just on my way to get my bachelors degree (bsn). But I was confuse about being a nurse, md, or pa, I’m not a very competitive person, so I think pa it’s the best choice after I earn my bchl.

YES! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A VIDEO ON THE NURSING TRACT!!! CANT WAIT ❣️

Please do OBGYN 🥰

you're providing good information

Thank you dr. Jubbal

Could you do a video talking about neuropsychologist or psychologists in general? I think I’m stuck between becoming a psychologist or physician assistant

Kevin can you make "So you want to be an Anesthesiologist Assistant" its not as well known as a PA but its a great career and i think it would be a great video to make

Neurologist!!! I‘d looooove to have some infos about this speciality! 🥰

this was so helpful