National:
American Academy of
Physician AssistantsStudent Academy of the AAPA
Physician Assistant
Education AssociationNational Commission on
Certification of Physician AssistantsAmerican Medical Association
on PAsU.S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor StatisticsPhysician Assistant Jobs
Q. What is a Physician Assistant (PA)?
A. Physician assistants are health care professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. PAs employed by the federal government are credentialed to practice. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and in most states can write prescriptions.
PAs are
trained in intensive education programs
accredited by the Accreditation
Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).
Because
of the close working relationship the PAs have with physicians, PAs are
educated in a medical model designed to complement physician training.
Upon graduation, physician assistants take a national certification examination
developed by the National Commission on Certification of PAs in conjunction
with the National Board of Medical Examiners. To maintain their national
certification, PAs must log 100 hours of continuing medical education every
two years and sit for a recertification every six years. Graduation from
an accredited
physician assistant program and passage of the national certifying exam
are required for state licensure. Q. How did the Physician Assistant profession begin?
A. In the mid-1960s, physicians and educators recognized there was a shortage and uneven distribution of primary care physicians. To expand the delivery of quality medical care, Dr. Eugene Stead of the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina put together the first class of PAs in 1965. He selected Navy corpsmen who received considerable medical training during their military service and during the war in Vietnam but who had no comparable civilian employment. He based the curriculum of the PA program in part on his knowledge of the fast-track training of doctors during World War II.
For more information about the history of the PA profession, visit the PA History Center Web page.
Q. What areas of medicine can Physician Assistants work in?
A. Physician assistants (PAs) are found in all areas of medicine. Today, over 50 percent of all physician assistants practice what is known as "primary care medicine" - that is family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. About 19 percent are in surgery or the surgical subspecialties.
Physician
assistants receive a broad education
in medicine. Their education is ongoing after graduation through continuing
medical education requirements and continual interaction with physicians
and other health care providers. Q. Where do PAs "draw the line" as far as what they can treat and what a physician can treat?
A. What a physician assistant does varies with training, experience, and state law. In addition, the scope of the PA's practice corresponds to the supervising physician's practice. In general, a physician assistant will see many of the same types of patients as the physician. The cases handled by physicians are generally the more complicated medical cases or those cases which require care that is not a routine part of the PA's scope of work. Referral to the physician, or close consultation between the patient-PA-physician, is done for unusual or hard to manage cases. Physician assistants are taught to "know our limits" and refer to physicians appropriately. It is an important part of PA training.
Q. Can PAs prescribe medications?
A. The fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Guam have laws that authorize PA prescribing. In California, PA prescriptions are referred to as written prescription transmittal orders.
Q. What does "PA-C" stand for? What does the "C" mean?
A. Physician assistant-certified. It means that the person who holds the title has met the defined course of study and has undergone testing by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). The NCCPA is an independent organization, and the commissioners represent a number of different medical professions. It is not a part of the PA professional organization, the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA).
To maintain
that "C" after "PA", a physician assistant must log 100 hours of continuing
medical education every two years and take the recertification exam every
six years. Q. What is the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)?
A. The AAPA is the only national professional society to represent all physician assistants in every area of medicine. Founded in 1968, the academy has a federated structure of 57 chartered chapters representing PAs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the federal services.
AAPA's
mission is to provide quality, cost-effective, and accessible health care
as well as to support the professional and personal development of PAs.
The AAPA pursues these goals through government
relations and public education programs, research
and data collection efforts, and continuing
education activities. The Academy's
policies are set by the House
of Delegates, which meets once a year, and implemented by the Board
of Directors. The House of Delegates is made up of representatives from
the chartered chapters, the Medical and Surgical Congresses, and the Association
of PA Programs. Member projects and activities are assisted by the AAPA
staff. A calendar
of upcoming AAPA events is available on their Web site. Q. What is the Physician Assistant Foundation?
A. As the philanthropic arm of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the Physician Assistant Foundation's mission is to foster education and research that enhance the delivery of quality health care. Related to this mission are the Foundation's goals to increase the understanding of the physician assistant profession and to develop and promote philanthropic activities. Learn more about the PA Foundation on their Web site.
Q. What is the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA)?
A. PAEA is a national organization whose members are the PA programs and individual PA educators. It includes representation from accredited programs and programs going through the accreditation process.
© AAPA.ORG - Used with permission.
