Updated February 10, 2022
BSc Physician Assistant or Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant is a 3-year long undergraduate course in the paramedical field that provides academic as well as practical knowledge in diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive healthcare services. The course creates a professional physician assistant who will work under the guidance of specialized doctors and play significant roles in examining the patients to identify their challenges, conducting tests & interpreting the test reports, treating minor injuries, to mention a few. The aspirants interested in pursuing this course will have to meet the eligibility criteria set up by admission authorities. They can get admission to the course after fulfilling specific qualifications like completing 12th board, should have completed 17years of age, good communication skills, to name a few.
The course’s motive is to produce a well-trained and qualified physician assistant who could efficiently assist the specialist physician or doctor in providing medical services to the patients. By considering it, the colleges/universities have inculcated many subjects that students would have to go through, such as anatomy, physiology, organic chemistry, psychology, to name a few. Moreover, the students also work as interns in any clinical centres to get exposure. On graduating from the BSc Physician Assistant course, they land in an exciting career, including medical assistant, Drug safety associate, Ortho Physician assistant, to name a few. Even, it offers satisfying salary packages.
What is BSc Physician Assistant?
B.Sc. in Physician Assistant is a three-year bachelor programme in the paramedical field that trains the students to examine, treat patients, order & interpret laboratory X-rays and perform the diagnosis. It is one of the popular medical courses in India. The growing popularity of physician assistants has attracted many paramedical medical enthusiast students towards the career. The physician assistant works under the supervision of a specialist physician or doctor. The professional working as a physician assistant is well skilled and qualified healthcare expert with academic and clinical training to provide medical services to the clients or patients. Moreover, they are also responsible for performing other works like treating minor injuries, taking note of the patients’ medical histories, and playing managerial roles, to mention a few. The course is designed to produce professional physician assistants who could efficiently assist the specialist.
B.Sc. in Physician Assistant Course Details
Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant is a three-year-long undergraduate course in India that offers hands-on experience and knowledge to the students on how to deal with patients/clients. This course helps to build a skilled physician assistant. During the course, the candidates learn about making treatment plans, procedures and allow doctors to coordinate with patients. They also build sound judgment skills, self-confidence, decision-making, and many more. The participants go diverse training while pursuing the course. The students graduating from the Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant program will be a stepping stone for a prosperous career.
While working as professional physician assistants, they are responsible for providing healthcare as well as therapeutic and diagnostic services to the patients. This programme offers numerous opportunities for graduates. In recent years, physician assistant employment has recorded 31% growth due to the extension of the healthcare field. On graduating, the students can find employment opportunities in both govt. as well as private sectors. The graduate students get handsome salary packages in the same field.
What are the Eligibility Criteria for Admission to BSc in Physician Assistant?
To get admission to the Bsc Physician Assistant course, the aspirants need to meet the standards set by the respective college authorities for admission. The minimum eligibility criteria for the aspirants required to pursue a BSc Physician Assistant course from the Indian universities are written down:
(a) Aspirants need to get a 12th board certificate from a recognized institute in the science stream.
(b) You must have secured at least 55% aggregate marks in 12th board with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as compulsory subjects.
(c) The students are also required to qualify in the entrance exam if they want to get admission to reputed medical colleges/universities.
(d) If they qualify in the entrance examination of the respective colleges/universities, they would be called for a Personal Interview in which they have to do well in this round.
Entrance Examinations for BSc Physician Assistant Course
Several renowned or reputed colleges/universities conduct entrance exams to provide admission to the BSc Physician Assistant Course. The entrance exams can be national or state-level. Different universities/colleges make different rules and regulations, so they conduct entrance exams accordingly. Some of the most sought-after entrance examinations are as-
CUCET:
Central Universities Common Entrance Exam is a national-level entrance exam. It was earlier conducted/coordinated by the Central University of Rajasthan, but in 2021, it was taken over by the National Testing Agency. This exam is organized to provide admission in various post-graduate, undergraduate, and research programs in several central and state-level universities in India.
CPNET:
Combined Paramedical Pharmacy and Nursing Entrance Test is a state-level entrance exam conducted to access the enthusiast candidates in the physiotherapy or paramedical courses. Through this entrance test, students get admission in the Physician Assistant course in India.
PANCE:
Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam is a test conducted every year throughout India to provide admission to the candidates in BSc Physician Assistant courses.
What is the Admission Process to the BSc Physician Assistant Course?
The candidates who are interested in pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant are needed to fulfill the standard eligibility criteria set by the college/university authorities. For instance, if the authority of the colleges requires some qualities like fluency in speaking, confidence, ability to persuade clients, they have to possess these qualities. If the aspirants cannot fulfill the set-up requirements, they will not be able to access the courses. So, colleges/universities provide admission to the course either on the basis of marks secured in 12th board or state and national level entrance exam marks. Thus, for the entry to BSc in Physician Assistant course, students must fulfill all the eligibility criteria required by the colleges. Here is the general process for admission in Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant course-
Merit-Based Entry to the Course-
Several universities/colleges provide direct admission to the students. For this path, the colleges or universities do not require lengthy documents, but the aspirants must have secured excellent grades in the 12th board; otherwise, they could not get that. They can simply apply to the interested colleges or institutes by uploading the requisite documents. When the college authorities put out cut-off marks, and you have made it above the set-up requirements, you are eligible for the course to get admission.
Entrance Based Entry to the Course-
Students must check whether, they are fulfilling the eligibility criteria before applying for the course.
(a) Registration- The first step for the candidates is to register themselves by opening the entrance exam portal and providing their email address, mobile number, and password. Hence, the students will create login IDs for the future.
(b) Filling Application Form- The second step is to open the application form by providing a password and user name and filling every entity very carefully in the application form.
(c) Upload Documents- Now, the students are required to upload the documents in an appropriate format and size. The documents can be your photograph, signature, id proof, Class 10 and 12 certificates, Bachelor’s degree, many more.
(d) Payment of Application Fee: When students get finished filling the application form correctly, they will have to pay the application fee online.
(e) Issuing of Admit Card: After some specific period of filling the application form, the entrance exam authority will provide admit card based on the details submitted by the participants.
(f) Entrance Examination: The most important phase for the students is to sit for the entrance exam after being exam dates are released and getting admit card. However, the participants would have to qualify for the entrance test conducted by different authorities.
(g) Result: The entrance exam authorities will declare the results of the entrance test after a certain period. If the students have scored above the cut-off marks, they will call for further process if it is needed and get admission to the course.
(h) Enrolment in the Intended Course: After successfully completing all the steps, the candidates will be allotted seats to the respective institutes.
Subjects Covered in BSc Physician Assistant Syllabus-
A Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant course comprises numerous subjects that the students would have to study in their course frame. The broad topics included in the course are to equip the requisite skills and practical knowledge to the candidates; after graduating through the BSc Physician Assistant course, they can efficiently practice what they have gained throughout the course. The prominent roles of a Physician assistant are to diagnose, cure and prevent various health-related issues. This programme has been brought on considering the need of the professional who could assist the doctors in providing appropriate therapeutic procedures to the candidates. Under the BSc in Physician Assistant course syllabus, the students are given ample knowledge of the subjects. So that professional physician assistants can efficiently diagnose, prepare and recommend the appropriate treatment to the clients/patients. It is not noted that this program is spread for three years. Since it is not possible to provide theoretical and practical knowledge one at a time, that’s why BSc Physician Assistant syllabus both theoretical and practical study spread over three years. A year-wise breakup of the general syllabus for Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant is given below in a tabulated form:
| S. No. | First Year | Second Year | Third Year |
| 1 | Physiology | Surgery Anesthesiology | Nephrology |
| 2 | Technical Writing | Clinical Microbiology | Gastroenterology |
| 3 | Anatomy | Obstetrics & Gynecology | Neurology |
| 4 | Introductions to Computers | Medical & Pharmacology | Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery |
| 5 | In-service Trainings | Paediatrics and geriatrics | In-Service Trainings |
Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant Course Fee
There are numerous colleges/universities in India that provide admission to the Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant course. Among them are private and government colleges/institutes. It is to be noted that every institute has a different infrastructure, faculty, facilities, and has a different location, so they charge course fees accordingly. However, the government universities/colleges charge fewer fees for the Physician Assistant course than the private universities/colleges. Apart from that, the average fees structure of Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant ranges from Rs. 10k to 4lakh for the entire course.
Jobs after Pursuing BSc in Physician Assistant Course
A Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant course is a job-oriented programme that produces competent physician assistants to stand out from the crowd. During the entire programme, the physician assistants are provided both theoretical and practical knowledge to effectively deal with the clients/patients. Notwithstanding, they are trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive healthcare services in all medical settings. As assigned by a physician, they are responsible for collecting all the crucial information about the patients/clients like their medical histories, Order for laboratory tests and X-rays, initial examination of the patients, etc. They are also responsible for assisting specialist doctors in diagnosing and therapeutic treatment. The healthcare area is expanding day by day; thereby, the demand for professional physician assistants is also providing a steep inclination. They are required in various areas such as outpatient wing, wards, and critical care units, operation theaters, and many more. Apart from that, they also need in other super-specialty units like Neurology, gastroenterology, Nephrology, Endocrinology, Urology, Cardiology, Oncology, Pulmonology, Urology, Orthopaedics, Head and Neck and Plastic Surgery, Catheterization labs, Coronary care units, Organ Transplant units, and trauma care, etc.
Since the healthcare procedures are vast and cannot be handled only through a single doctor, they require professional assistants who could help them provide appropriate therapeutic techniques and procedures to the patients. Therefore, a Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant degree can help candidates evolve into expert physician assistants who can quickly diagnose and assist the doctors. They can get jobs in both governments as well as private sectors. Following are some popular job profiles that you can get after obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant Degree:
(a) Drug Safety Associate-
(b) Medical Consultant-
(c) Government physician assistant
(d) Ortho Physician Assistant-
(e) Personal Health Counsellor-
(f) Dietician-
(g) Personal Health Facilitator-
(h) Physician & Surgeons Assistant-
(i) Teacher or professor for government colleges
Higher Studies after B.Sc. Physician Assistant Course
The BSc in Physician Assistant course has been formulated to provide students theoretical as well as practical knowledge on diagnosing, assessing, and curing various health-related issues. So, it is one of the significant physician assistant programs that provide in-depth learning of curing and prevention of patients’ suffering. Actually, they are assigned to operate and manage various healthcare-related works.
Although this BPT course provides satisfying job roles in various sectors, it does not help you specialize in any particular area. Basically, the Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant course sheds light on numerous subjects and prepares a competent physician assistant. So, to make a prosperous career after obtaining B.Sc. in Physician Assistant, the students can go for higher studies. After obtaining this degree, pursuing a higher education would be quite very beneficial for the students. Higher studies will equip you with better skills and hands-on experience to help you get satisfying salaries. Some of higher studies courses are as-
(a) M.Sc. in Physician Assistant-
(b) Certificate Course in Physician Assistant
(c) MPhil.
(d) MBA
Salary of B.Sc. in Physician Assistant Graduates
Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant course is a job-oriented programme that produces competent physician assistants to effectively assist the specialist physician or doctor in providing therapeutic, diagnosis, and cure medical services to the patients. So after completing the Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant course, they can draw handsome salary packages. The salary given to the physician assistant is not the same; it can vary on various factors, including the college they chose, performance in the graduation, and internships that have been taken up. When physician assistants become highly skilled, their salaries will go up. In general, their average salary ranges from 2lakh to 5lakh.
Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant Colleges in India
(a) HITS, Chennai
(b) SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kanchipuram
(c) Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth University, Pondicherry
(d) SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Chennai
(e) Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (MGMCRI), Pondicherry
(f) Dr DY Patil Medical College, Navi Mumbai Medical College, Navi Mumbai
BSc Physician Assistant Colleges in Tamil Nadu
(a) Sandhya College of Health Sciences, Vellore
(b) MMM College of Health Sciences, Chennai
(c) Nandha College of Allied Health Sciences, Erode
(d) PPG Institute of Allied Health Sciences, Coimbatore
(e) G Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital, Coimbatore
(f) Vadamalayan Institute of Medical and Allied Health Sciences, Madurai