How do you become a physician assistant?
All states require aspiring PAs to complete an accredited, formal education program. Does that mean that all soon to be PAs have to have worked in the medical field before actually becoming one? If that's true, can i become a sonographer first and then become a PA? or do i have to have a bachelor's in sonography? Can I just have an associates degree in the medical field before going to PA school?
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The best (an the changing majority) PA schools are masters levels, 2 year programs, so you will need a bachelors degree & some medical experience. In general any medical experience is OK but the more hands on patient care experience the better. You could do sonogram and also volunteer somewhere like the ER to see more hands on stuff, may be also do phlebotomy as well, or try & get hired in a doc's office etc. The more experience you have entering the easier the program will be as its pretty intense & compacted (think medical school in 2 years). Also look closely at the education pre-reqs: make sure you take all of them in college, even if not required for your degree.
Because the field will eventually require a masters and you are competing with masters PAs & masters NPs; I highly advise just getting o e to start.
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Apply to medical school Being a PA does not shorten the training, but makes part of it easier to grasp some concepts Source Have both friends who did this plus have friends who were in Med school with PAs