PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT HAS BEEN identified as one of the very best jobs in America. The reasons for the career's appeal are striking: -Jobs available everywhere -Relatively fast entry - the post-graduate education averages just 27 months -Excellent pay starting at around $90,000 with the potential to go much higher -Flexibility to practice in different specialty areas without additional education -Job growth that is nearly twice as fast as most other occupations -Exceptional work/life balance Physician assistants, commonly called PAs, practice medicine under the supervision of a physician. Their training is very similar to that of physicians, compressed into a shorter period of time. Although they cannot practice independently, they often act as stand-alone providers, performing many of the same duties traditionally reserved for doctors. The actual amount of autonomy they have can vary, but generally they provide diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic services. Physician assistants are especially important in primary care, where there is an acute shortage of licensed physicians. On any day, a physician assistant in primary care might provide physicals, order and interpret lab tests or x-rays, assist in surgery, diagnose and treat illness, set broken bones, suture lacerations, treat minor burns, prescribe and carry out therapy, and write out prescriptions. Physician assistant training programs are a fast track into the medical field. Most start with a bachelor's degree, but some programs will admit students with only two years of college courses, granting a bachelor's degree as part of the training. While it is advantageous to have a college major in a subject related to healthcare, especially science, it is not required. In fact, a candidate can enter a PA program with a background in any major. The intensive training programs focus entirely on the medical, scientific, and clinical skills needed to become a primary healthcare provider. Graduates are fully qualified to take certification exams and go to work. No residency is required. As the healthcare industry continues to struggle with a doctor shortage and a growing patient population, the physician assistant will become increasingly needed. PAs are enjoying progressively greater roles in front-line care as states continually expand the range of services PAs are allowed to perform. It all adds up to fantastic job growth with demand far exceeding the supply of new PAs.
ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING, GLAMOROUS and high earnings careers in the 21st century is screen¬writing. The field includes screen¬writers (also called scriptwriters and scriptwriting journalists) who write for movies, television and video productions, as well as some playwrights (or dramatists) who write for live theater and the movies. Screenwriters come up with stories, characters and dialogues for films and TV shows, creating scripts that guide the work of directors, actors, artists, and technicians. Screenwriters may work in the major entertainment centers of Hollywood and New York City. Some work in other cities and towns, creating scripts for radio broadcasts, corporate sales presentations, advertising and instructional videos, nonprofit fundraisers, web-based series, political presentations, and video games. Would you make a good screenwriter? Talent - creativity, imagination, the ability to tell a good story - is the most important qualification. Then you add specialized training in writing screenplays (movies) and teleplays (TV). It takes plenty of practice and experience to hone your writing skills, so expect to spend many hours writing and rewriting scripts. Personal traits are also important. Are you an innovative writer who enjoys the creative process? Do you love the movies, TV and other media? Could you work well in a collaborative environment, teaming with fellow writers to draft and revise a script? Can you handle constructive criticism - and even rejection? Are you persistent? If so, you could be successful in a screenwriting career. A college degree is not required, but is typically helpful to get started. Some writers major in screenwriting, film production, or creative writing in college, while other scriptwriters study topics far removed from the arts. The most important factor is your ability to write, so take writing classes, practice your craft, and build up a portfolio of your own scripts. Screenwriters may work for major production studios, local television and radio stations, corporations, not-for-profit organizations, or advertising agencies. Television writers are typically employees of a production house or studio, working as part of a team that creates each week's episode for a series. Film screenwriters are usually self-employed freelancers who are represented by agents. They may come up with their own ideas for films and sell scripts to producers; adapt novels or other existing works for the cinema; or work as "script doctors" to revise an existing script to meet the specific needs of a producer and/or director. It is not easy to break into screenwriting. Competition among talented writers is fierce for the limited amount of work available. You need talent and determination to succeed, but if you are willing to spend the necessary time studying the industry and learning how to write a good screenplay, you can achieve the personal and professional satisfaction that accompanies the role of a successful screenwriter.
