What is a PA?

What is a PA?

October 6-12 is national PA week and I thought I would take this chance to write a little bit about what a PA is and what we can do. In short: PA’s counsel patients, diagnosis and treat illness, prescribe medications, perform procedures and assist in surgeries. PA’s can also perform physical exams, order and interpret tests and do clinical research.

I began my journey by volunteering at Hoag hospital in Newport Beach, at the Aids Services Foundation and the American Red Cross, while working as an EMT, in Southern California. Simultaneously, I was busy obtaining my B.S in Biology at the University of California, Irvine. I then relocated to Boston, MA to complete PA school training at MCPHS University, Boston. My training in human anatomy and hands-on cadaver labs were completed at Harvard Medical School. I received my MPAS, which made me eligible to sit for the boards. After passing the national board exam, I was eligible to apply for state licensing. Licensing must be maintained by completing 100 hours of continued education and training, every 2 years.

PA education is modeled after the medical school curriculum and includes a minimum of 2,000 hours in clinical training and is on average 3.5 years when combining the didactic and clinical education. Clinical rotations are completed in general medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, women’s health, emergency medicine, psychiatry and allows for additional options in urgent care, ICU and various electives.

I personally chose to do my elective in plastic surgery, in Orange County, California. I completed additional rotations in the ICU, urgent care, emergency medicine, cardiac unit, general and bariatric surgery, OBGYN, pediatrics and psychiatry.

The great thing about being trained in so many fields is the ability to obtain and maintain skills from a wide variety of environments.

Fast forward 6 years and I now own my own clinic in downtown Sarasota, Sunkyssed Injector. I love what I do and I love specializing in injectables and aesthetic medicine. I maintain 100+ hours of continued education each year and have both my national board certification/licensing, as well as my state license in the state of Florida. I focus on safety and outcomes and strive to provide the best results to every single patient in my chair, can’t wait to see you there!

Crystal Osborn, PA-C

Owner at Sunkyssed Injector