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Army short on physician assistants

On the battlefield, no one earns as much respect as the physician assistants assigned to line units to ensure everybody comes home.

That respect also means many people aspire to the position; in 2007, about 1,000 troops applied for the 95 slots in the Interservice Physician Assistant Program.

“We have had problems getting applicants in the past, but not now,” said Capt. James Jones, Interservice Physician Assistant Program manager. “We’re getting the cream of the crop.”

But even as their reputation grows beyond pre-war “sick-call doctor” status to training medics to care for gunshot wounds, shrapnel injuries and explosion burns — as well as commanding aid stations when mass casualties come in — the Army is still short 150 physician assistants.

“The real issue is retaining them,” Jones said. “Right out of school, civilians are making $85,000 to $120,000 a year for a 32-hour work week, and they do not have to leave their families.”

A PA is essentially a doctor who hasn’t had the research training or in-depth training in more unusual disease processes to be a full-fledged physician, Jones said.

PAs have about half the schooling of a medical doctor, do not have to work an internship or residency, and are supervised by physicians throughout their careers. They usually work with outpatients, and earn certifications as they become adept at a skill.

The Interservice Physician Assistant Program trains PAs from all the services, which rotate management responsibilities every four years; the Army is in charge now. All services let enlisted members apply, but the only the Army accepts applicants from the other services, enlisted or officer. Two Marine officers are going through the program now to become Army PAs.

But getting in is tough. The requirements say applicants should have 60 credit hours, but in reality, they need to be close to their bachelor’s degrees because of the competition.

And forget service members who have never set foot in an aid station — even infantry soldiers who would like to become PAs should be volunteering with medics to show interest. Jones said 65 percent of those accepted into the program are medics, but they’ll take truck drivers, too, if they outshine other applicants.

For full requirements, send an e-mail to ipap@usarec.army.mil for an automated response, which includes a list of frequently asked questions. To be competitive, applicants should have a 3.0 grade-point average and an SAT score of at least 1800, although the minimum requirement is 1500, Jones said.

Those who get into the program continue to earn a paycheck while the military pays for their schooling, and they graduate as first lieutenants with a master’s from the University of Nebraska. They can make captain within 15 months of graduating.

In December, the military graduated their first four officers with a doctorate in clinical science — the only such program in the U.S. Those doctors, training at Brook Army Medical Center in Texas, will have extra expertise in emergency room skills, Jones said, adding that officials hope to expand that 18-month program to three more Army medical facilities.

This could help the military in another way: Across the country, medical schools are short of instructors for PA programs. The troops who graduate from the new doctorate program will be able to teach at the PA program at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

To encourage service members to remain in uniform as PAs, Jones said the Army also offers a $25,000-a-year retention bonus for a four-year commitment.