Physician assistants (PAs) comprise an industry within the medical profession of workers who operate under the supervision of physicians. Though not licensed medical doctors, PAs receive special accreditation and are capable of making many medical decisions.
Identification
PAs are advanced practice clinicians who work under the supervision of a professional, generally a physician. They are different from medical assistants, who typically perform tasks along the administrative and clerical side of medical work in private practices and hospitals under the supervision of various professionals, including physicians, registered nurses, nurse-practitioners and, in fact, PAs.
History
PAs first came on the scene in the 1960s as a result of a shortage of primary care physicians, especially due to uneven geographical distribution. The first class of physician assistants was formed in 1965 at Duke University under Dr. Eugene Stead. This first class was primarily comprised of people who had served in Vietnam as medics in the Army and Navy and received extensive medical training. The initial coursework was based on the Dr. Stead's knowledge of military fast-track medical programs.
Features
In the U.S., there are 141 accredited programs for physician assistants. Most of these give Master's degrees in various PA-related fields, including Physician Assistant Studies. In general, these programs require a Bachelor's degree and either GRE or MCAT scores of a sufficient threshold for admission. A few of these programs offer doctorate level degrees.
Effects
Physician assistants are able to provide a variety of services, including doing physical exams and performing basic procedures. They can make diagnoses, recommend treatments, order diagnostic tests and interpret them, prescribe medication and make referrals to specialists. A physician assistant can work in any specialty, either medical or surgical.
Expert Insight
In many ways, a physician assistant performs many of the same duties and can make most of the decisions that a physician makes. One of the main things that separates a physician assistant from a physician, aside from differences in education, is that a physician assistant requires supervision from a licensed physician. A physician can supervise in the office, via telecommunication or by regularly checking the charts and communicating with the PA. As a result, many PAs are able to provide medical services in areas lacking physicians.
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