Why is it important for international students who have completed PA studies to undergo a 36-month OPT period?
The OPT period allows students to gain practical experience before they can qualify for state-specific credentials to legally provide autonomous patient care.
Below is an instruction that describes a task. Write a response that appropriately completes the request.

### Instruction:
Why is it important for international students who have completed PA studies to undergo a 36-month OPT period?

### Input: Not applicable

### Response:
The OPT period allows students to gain practical experience before they can qualify for state-specific credentials to legally provide autonomous patient care.<|im_end|>