Thursday, February 26, 2015

Neurology List of Most Commons for Physician Assistant Students

Most Commons in Neurology
  • Tension Headache - most common type of headache
    • Episodic Tension-Type Headache - most common headache subtype (<15 days monthly)
  • Migraine - most common recurrent headache disorder
  • Medication Overuse Headache (Analgesic Rebound) - most common cause of migraine-like and “mixed” headaches that occur > 15 days per month
  • Epilepsy - most common in childhood due to perinatal injury, infection and genetic factors and old age due to stroke, tumors, or dementia
  • Seizures
    • Most common toxic causes of seizures: drugs, alcohol, and medications
    • Most common metabolic causes of seizures: hypocalcemia, hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, hypoxia

Saturday, February 14, 2015

From International Student to Physician Assistant

From International Student to Physician Assistant
Updated: 07/08/2016
You may be an international medical graduate (IMG), a caribbean medical student, or a student from a foreign country (outside the United States) wanting to attend physician assistant (PA) school. While it may seem daunting at first, do not be frightened by the lengthy application process or by the worrisome anecdotal stories you may read about online.

You will need to prepare your materials before throwing an application together. Many international students and international medical graduates see medical school residency matching as a barrier to becoming a licensed provider in the United States, which is why they choose to become physician assistants.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

2015 PANCE Updates

2015 PANCE Updates

Because of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) publication, NCCPA will adapt its content blueprints, disease and disorder lists, and psychiatry-related terminology within test questions to conform to DSM-5 classifications and diagnostic criteria for all of our examinations beginning in 2015, according to the following timeline:
PANCE and PANRE administered in 2015:
In these examinations, psychiatry-related terminology within test questions will include the DSM-5 terminology followed by the DSM-IV-TR terminology in parentheses. Example: illness anxiety disorder (hypochondriasis)
PANCE and PANRE administered in 2016 and beyond:
In these examinations, only the DSM-5 terminology will be provided when appropriate. Example: illness anxiety disorder

Please also review the 2015 Content Blueprint Organ Areas and make sure you are studying with emphasis on those areas with most content. Remember, psychiatry is 6% of the PANCE!