Aarc-Pa Disadvantages

Both Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Physician Assistants (PA) are two very important professionals in the field of medicine. They both work under the supervision of a licensed physician, and their functions are also quite similar with very minor differences between the two. Due to such similarities it has become very difficult for the general population to differentiate between these two professionals (Nurse Practitioner School, 2015). The nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have gone on to earn a master's or doctorate degree in a specialty area of nursing, such as family practice, adult practice, pediatrics or women's health. Their duties include diagnosing and treating acute and chronic conditions, prescribing medication,

Physician assistant’s scope of practice is defined by the level of education, experience, state laws, facility policies and the supervising physician’s delegations. PAs work as a team with the supervising physician and they support the physician’s scope of practice. Since the physician assistants are also educated in the medical model, PAs also practice with physicians in every specialty and setting.

The health care industry is experiencing a surge in the number of baby-boomers needing health care and increased demands on the physicians providing the care. This trend has made the role of Advanced practice providers more important (cite). It is imperative to understand the differences and similarities in the advanced practice provider roles as it pertains to healthcare. This paper will identify specialty nursing roles including advanced practice registered nurses (APRN). It will further compare and contrast the advanced practice nurse (APN) and physician assistant (PA) roles in practice.

Have you ever wanted to be a physician assistant? If you do, it is a challenge to be accepted in PA (physician assistant) school. There are over one hundred and twenty-five PA programs in the United States. A physician's signature is required on some percentage of the charts of patients whom PAs treat in twenty-four states. This job is considered to be the second best job America.

While the demand of healthcare need increasers the United States facing a physician shortage. In recent years the number of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) has significantly increased and they are taking the part in providing healthcare cervices to the majority of patients. I believe nurse practitioners and physician assistants can practice independently from doctors and be free of oversight. Expanding the scope of NPs and PAs is essential to overcome the healthcare crisis we are facing; it will increase patient satisfaction and stabilizing the healthcare economy.

Expansion of Physician Assistant (PA) programs across the United States occurred rapidly during the 1970s following the introduction of the profession in the 1960s. According to Hooker et al. (2010), the first era of the development of PA programs was followed by a decline in the 1980s. This was due in large part to a belief by the Graduate Medical Education Advisory Committee that there would be a surplus of physicians in the 1990s. Contrarily, there was a still a large discrepancy in the number of accessible providers and providers themselves which continues to this day. Many saw the cost effective advantage of training PAs and seized the opportunity

At the practice level, physician assistants have taken over many duties once handled by doctors. Physician assistants working in family medicine receive about half the salary of doctors, and those working in areas of specialties receive about one-third as much as doctors in the same specialty (Cunningham). Physician assistants are included in health care delivery system in many different settings and specialties. They represent10 percent of the primary care labor force and 9 percent of physicians in community health centers (AHRQ Stats No.3). Furthermore, most physician assistants work in a variety of specialties, including oncology, dermatology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, and behavioral health (Doven, Christian 2).

After the completion of the program you must pass the Physician’s Assistant National Certifying Examination and are required to be licensed by the state you will be practicing

Physician Assistants are clinicians practicing in a physician extender role. They are found in almost every medical and surgical area in the U.S. and are appearing in both primary and specialist care settings in Canada. They perform similar tasks to their physician supervisors, including examination, diagnosis, diagnostic testing, treatment, referrals and prescribing. Research shows PAs to be capable of giving care, comparable to that of physicians for similar services.

To become a Physician Assistant it usually requires a master’s degree and at least two full years of a PA program. Getting into the PA program can be exceedingly overwhelming. Plenty of applicants have a bachelor’s degree and health care related work experience. After being in the program for two years, many will go and attain a license, which is required by all states. To be able to get licensed many will need to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE).

Day by day, the demand of a medical profession is increasing. In every era or any situation, we need someone to help us for our health. As stated in bls.gov, employment of physician assistants is projected to grow 30 percent from 2014 to 2024; it is much faster than the average for all occupations. As demand for healthcare services grows, physician assistants will be needed to provide care to patient.

Physician assistants work in a variety of different fields from emergency medicine and family practice to specific surgical specialties. One of these more specific fields is orthopedic surgery. According to the NCCPA, in 2016 there were 9,071 orthopedic surgery physician assistants.1 This number accounts for 11.2 percent of all current areas of principal clinical practice among physician assistants. Orthopedic surgery was also the highest ranking surgical subspecialty, and it outranked general surgery, cardiothoracic vascular surgery, and neurosurgery.1(p14)

In December 1970, the American Medical Association adopted the following definition for Physician Assistants: “The Physician Assistant [(PA)] is a skilled person qualified by academic and practical training to provide patient services under the supervision and direction of a licensed physician who is responsible for the performance of that physician assistant.” (NY Department of Health). Laws and regulations for the PA profession have been developing over time based on the needs of the society; however, the need for a supervising physician found its way in the definition of the PA early on. Since PAs have been playing an important role in patient’s life, it is not surprising that they needed the supervision of a physician. After all it was a new profession, therefore it needed time to show if it is fulfilling the initial goals of the profession or not.

Physician Assistants are always supervised by a physician by relieving doctors of routine tasks, they help deliver high-quality healthcare in a cost-effective manner. And now and days thanks to the internet and tele-medicine which make it easy to consult with a supervising physician, PA’s can bring medical services to rural and inner clinics unable to attract a full-time doctor. About forty-nine states require Physician Assistants to be graduates of an accredited Physician Assistant education program, although certificates and Associate degrees are offered, most PA’s have at least a Bachelor’s degree. Becoming a Physician Assistant isn’t easy, and I have a long journey ahead of me.

Physician Assistants are also known as a PA’s; they practice medicine under the direction of physicians and surgeons. They formally trained to examine patients, diagnose injures and illness, and provide treatment. Physician Assistants also evaluate and treat patients under the supervision of doctors and surgeons. A Physician Assistants is a graduate of an accredited Physician Assistant educational program who is nationally certified and state- licensed to practice medicine with the supervision of a physician. Core tasks of a Physician Assistant are they take medical histories and examine patients. They Interpret lab test and make diagnoses, Treat minor injuries with stitches, splints, casts, and prescribes certain medications, The