Medical Education US

I just found this site, so this may have been discussed before. But can someone help with information or resources for opportunties for Physician Assistants to work in psychiatry and mental health?

I've been considering applying to medical school and am interested in psychiatry. But since I am a little older than the average med school applicant (I'm 30), I've also been considering physician assistant programs. Can someone tell me what type of opportunities there are for PAs in mental health?

Would PAs receive any training in providing therapy? Can PAs have their own practice?

Thanks for the help.

I don't know a whole lot about physician's assistants, but I know that in my residency program at Univ of Iowa we had a few physician's assistants working in the psychiatry clinic. PA's can definitely receive training in providing therapy.

I'm not sure what sort of practice a PA would be able to have on their own. The one's I worked with were all part of the hospital clinic - where they were supervised by a physician. I believe they were providing both medications and therapy.

I have no idea what sort of opportunities are out there.

I did a quick Google search and found this physician assistant site.

You may want to browse around a little there and see what you can find. Seems to be a nice web site.