Becoming a PA is an exciting career choice. It involves a lot of hard work, and PA programmes are becoming increasingly competitive to gain entry to. PA training is achievable over a 2-year period, the education however is extremely intense given the responsibility that is held once qualified.
PAs are trained to be flexible generalists; this means you can move around difficult specialties over the course of your career. You could work in emergency medicine for a few years then move to surgery then to obstetrics & gynaecology. PAs in addition to being generalists if working in a speciality area can gain specialist skills. This will depend on the area worked in, needs of the service, experience of the PA in that area, appropriate education, training and governance and agreement with and appropriate supervision from their supervisor. This flexibility over your development as a PA and the potential of the role is exciting. There are lots of myths and inaccuracies around how PAs work, so speaking to or shadowing a PA will give the best insight into deciding if PA is for you.