A physician assistant plays an essential role in the American healthcare system. According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), these are certified medical professionals, who diagnose illness, manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as patient’s healthcare providers.
However, if you want to become a Physician Assistant (PA), you must have proper schooling. PA education is very costly, as you have to pay for tuition, medical supplies, and learning material. These programs have an average of $44,000 fees. The bad news is that these schools demand a lot of time, and you get a limited time to work.
Therefore, it is challenging for students to pay such hefty fees without working. However, AAPA understands the situation well, and therefore, it provides a lot of scholarships to PA students to help them.
Keep Reading the article, and we will tell you about scholarships available for physician assistants in America.
5 Great scholarships to enroll in this career
National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program
NHSC offers scholarship programs to many American students, committed to providing primary health care services in areas with a shortage of health professionals.
If you gain this scholarship, you will receive tuition fees, education costs (books, supplies, etc.), and a monthly stipend of up to 4 years of education. Scholarship winners will serve in needed regions in the future.
To get this scholarship, you must prove yourself as a US citizen. You can show a birth certificate issued by the county or state, a valid US passport, or a citizenship certificate as proof to the authorities.
Further, you also require an accreditation certificate from the Commission on Education for Physical Assistant and the US Department of Education or State Institutional Accrediting Agency.
AFPPA Student Scholarship (For Undergrads and Grads Students)
The Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants (AFPPA) grants heavy scholarships to students interested in family practice. You can apply for this scholarship whether you are studying in undergraduate or graduate classes. Here, you will get $1000 to $1500 yearly if you get eligible for this program.
To apply for this scholarship, you must be enrolled in an accredited physician assistant program for more than 12 months. You have to submit an essay of 750 words or less to AFPPA in which you will pledge to do family practice medicine in the future.
➡LEARN MORE: Scholarships for Non-traditional Students
Physician Assistant Foundation Scholarship
Physician Assistant Foundation is a very keen institution that has been helping PAs since 1977. It has awarded a $2.3 million grant to PAs by now. It is currently benefiting 1400+ future PAs in the United States.
To get this scholarship, you must be a member of AAPA and have completed one semester or a quarter of your degree.
Society of Army Physician Assistants (SAPA)
SAPA is a civilian organization that supports the US army physician assistants (PAs). They provide the $1000 annual grants to SAPA members or their beneficiaries. This scholarship started in 1976 when some military professionals realized that they must get help from civilian PAs in critical times.
The good news about this scholarship program is that it supports students as well as former, active, or retired civilian and federally employed PAs.
Johnson and Johnson PA Scholarship
The Center of American Program says that America can save more than 84,000 lives by filling the health assistant gap. For this purpose, the Physician Assistant Foundation introduced a scholarship for underrepresented minority pre-PA students, increasing the PA workforce and alleviating the healthcare gap.
You can be eligible for this scholarship depending on your financial condition, academic performance, and willingness to provide services in underserved countries.
Final words
Schooling for a physician assistant is very costly in America, and students get very little time in this program to do some job and earn money. However, the government and several foundations help students in this regard via different scholarships that you can see above in the article.
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