How long is physician assistant school?

Many physician assistant programs award a master’s degree after completion of the schooling. PA programs often require a bachelor’s degree for admission. If a bachelor’s degree is not required, a minimum of an associate degree is needed in order to get into a PA program. Most PA programs are about two years long. The bottom line is a registered nursing degree can often be earned in two years, while a PA degree usually takes between four and six when you combine undergrad requirements. read more

First, you can attend an accelerated physician assistant program designed specifically for students graduating from high school. These programs usually take about five years to complete and award students both a bachelor's and master's degree. read more

Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) Step 3: Become certified Once you’ve graduated from an accredited PA program, you’re eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). read more

Physician assistants often make more than registered nurses. Although many factors go into salaries, such as experience, specialty and geographic areas, PA’s usually come out on top. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for PA’s in 2013 was about $90,000 a year. read more

To maintain national certification, you need to complete 100 hours of continuing medical education (CME) credits every two years and take a recertification exam (the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam, or PANRE) every 10 years. read more

Getting your bachelor's degree will take four years. Then, you will have to attend a physician assistant program. This will require an additional two years. So, if you are currently in high school and choose not to attend an accelerated program you can expect it will take you at least six years to become a physician assistant. read more