October 6th marked the beginning of National PA Week!

Some people may wonder, what is a PA? PA stands for Physician Assistant, and no, they aren't the people who make coffee for the 'real doctors.' They're the people who are just as capable of saving your life, the people who study crazy hours and work even crazier ones, and they're the people who make a difference every day.

Here's some facts you may not know about your PA!

1. They can write a prescription.

2. They can assist in surgery.

3. Most spend 2,000 hours in clinical rotation before employment.

4. They take a recertification test every ten years to make sure they're still performing well at their jobs.

5. Every two years they complete 100 hours of continuing medical education.

6. They are certified nationally and licensed by state.

7. They can specialize in things like dermatology, mental health, radiology, and countless other fields.

8. From 2011 to 2014, the demand for PAs has increased by more than 300 percent.

9. It's a female-dominated field (67% women, 33% men).

10. The median salary is $93,800.

11. They probably participated in some awesome service trips while in college.

12. They're the best siblings you could ask for, because they'll never be grossed out by snapchats of your sore throat begging for a diagnosis.

So to all of the PAs out there, thank you. Thank you for studying, thank you for caring, and thank you for healing. To learn more about the profession, please visit www.aapa.org, which is an amazing source of information!

Special shoutout to the Wagner College class of 2017 PA Program for helping me write this article, and an even bigger shoutout to my brother Danny, who is going to be the best PA ever. I'm so proud of you and all that you do, and I can't wait for your white coat ceremony in the spring!