Pros And Cons Of Entry Level Doctorates

The pursuit of well-being is an essential part of human nature and individuals are capable of shaping their own nature based on specific purposes or objectives. At a professional level, clinicians have the right to pursue higher academic degrees if desired. The physician assistant (PA) profession has recently experienced a period of turmoil due to new proposed ideas of endorsing an entry-level clinical doctorate. In 2009, a vast majority of PAs opposed to the idea of an entry-level PA doctorate during a PA Clinical Doctorate Summit, recommending instead those who desire to expand their education, to pursue non-PA-specific doctoral degrees (Coplan, 2011). However, to analyze the entry-level doctorate proposal it is important to distinguish the benefits and cons of entry-level doctorates and postgraduate doctorates, the importance of a PA’s clinical experience, and the nature of continuing professional development.

Currently, “…academic institutions and most regional accrediting agencies require faculty members to be academically credentialed at the same or higher level than the attending student population” (Orcutt, Hildebrand & Jones, 2006, p. 6). Nonetheless, the PA career was created as a fast effective solution for the shortage of health care providers. People in need of medical services cannot afford to wait for a clinician to complete a doctorate degree at an entry-level. Entry-level doctorates “…would lengthen PA education and thus decrease the perceived advantage of the current short and efficient PA programs” (Cawley, 2008, p. 13). Therefore, defeating the true purpose of the PA profession. On the other hand, postgraduate doctorates, offer a better option for health care providers to improve their qualifications while optimizing