Physician Assistant History

Pebbles Lafleur05/15/2018HS115My Scope of PracticeAs many people know, there are steps into making into the medical field world. There are still certifications and levels to have under your belt to move up. Many people start as a CNA, then LPN, RN and so on and so forth. However, currently, I am enrolled in school to become a CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) and hopefully adding phlebotomy under my belt as well. Nevertheless, before all this to happen, there is a process to go by and complete it accordingly.To be competitive in the medical field marketplace, all medical assistants have to be certified through the AMA. The AAMA (American Association of Medical Assistants) is the association that is responsible for producing the

The Physician Assistant (PA) and Nurse Practitioner (NP) career fields were the medical fields’ response to the physician shortage that began in the 1960s, but the shortage still exists today. As the population continues to grow, the gap continues to grow as well. Medical schools were having a hard time producing as many doctors that were needed to fill in the gaps in a timely manner, leaving the medical field looking for ways they could have health care providers diagnose and treat patients, but educated in half the time of a doctor. The PA program was then born out of the military. Medical doctors watched as military doctors and medics came back, but they had no formal training except for on-the-job training. The NP program was derived from previous midwifery program. Currently, as the physician shortage is still impending more and more PAs and NPs are being hired to fill in the gaps. This is causing many questions to arise: Are they qualified?, What kind of education do they have?, and Should I feel safe?. Patients want to know that they are getting excellent care, and that their medical providers are qualified to diagnose and treat patients accurately.

This has allowed me to experience what each person’s role in a hospital setting truly is. Both physician assistants and nurse practitioners share a lot of the same responsibilities as a physician, although nurse practitioners are given the flexibility of choosing which specialty they are interested in pursuing. This autonomy is what drew me into this position, which includes a lot of independence within the practice. Over the years that I have worked in healthcare, I have realized that patients need a health care provider who will be an advocate for them, and they also need someone who will truly listen to them in order to help improve their quality of health. The roles and job responsibilities of a nurse practitioner have caught my attention and therefore have made me want to pursue this career

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.

The biggest challenge that Physician Assistances face is when a patient questions their competency or their ability to care for them. PA’s are one of the youngest allied health fields and some people are unaware of the role of a physician assistant. The best way to reassure the patient that they are being properly taken care of is to educate the patient on the topic of Physician Assistant. The first Physician Assistant program started in 1960 in the military, to help with the growing need for primary care doctors (Mittman). Physician Assistance must first obtain a four year degree with a competitive GPA of 3.6 or

deficiencies that appears in the United States has placed the spotlight on the advanced practice nurses, involving nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to make up for the insufficiency physicians (Kleinpell, Ward, Kelso, Mollenkopf, & Houghton, 2015). With the NPs and PAs coming into the for forth to provide patients with high-quality healthcare at reduce costs. The PAs and NPs continue to inform patients on new medical advancement and treatment pertaining the patients? health conditions to ensure patients continue up-to-date knowledge and to encourage

Every year, an estimate of 5.9 million people dies from disease (World Health Organization, 2016). Some of these diseases are caused by bacteria, parasites, virus, trauma, mutations, and environment. Although these diseases can cause death and injury, in many cases, they can be treated by a specialist called a physician. A physician is a person who is qualified to practice medicine. Often, these medical specialists need help in treating large numbers of patients in need of care. In the 1960s, the physician assistant (PA) profession was created.in 1965, there was a noticeable shortage of physicians. Eugene A. Stead Jr., MD, of the Duke University Medical Center assembled the first class to take on the role as physician assistants. These men received medical training in fast track manner to what a physician might learn (Academic Academy of Physician Assistants Organization, 2014).The duties of a physician assistant are similar to what a physician may carry out but differ in some ways. Today, the physician assistant profession is a growing field, but more difficult to achieve. Recently, there has been an increase in the amount of school time and pre requisites to be accepted into a physician assistant graduate program. Specialization of a particular field is even more difficult to achieve. In addition, work environments can be often challenging. However, high salaries and benefits of working in the medical field give reward to the employee.

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

Henry K Silver. MD, professor, and vice-chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC), established the first Physician Assistant program curriculum specializing on pediatrics/child specialist when there was an increased demand for pediatric health care providers. It was important to develop a program that will complement the skills and training of their pediatrician colleagues as well as develop a fast-paced program. Thus he developed a 36-month program curriculum focusing on providing high quality, comprehensive primary care to infants, children, and adolescents. In 1969, the legislature passed the Child Health Associate Act, which allowed non-physicians to practice medicine and provide the framework for the certification of an allied health care professional (Glicken et al). This law played an important role in further development of PA profession in the following years.

The PA Platform is an online community targeted towards pre-physician assistants, physician assistants, as well as certified physician assistants.4 For certified physician assistants, there are many publications in this blog regarding topics such as: searching for a job in the physician assistant profession, tips for medical conferences, what to expect during your first year working as a physician assistant, how to properly respect patients and much more.5 All submissions for this blog are posted by Savanna Perry of Georgia.6 On this blog, there are posts on current news regarding the profession, tips to strive in the physician assistant profession, service opportunities, etc. The most current post on the blog was a volunteer opportunity the author of the blog participated in in Kenya, Africa providing health care services to the underserved population.7 This blog is an additional resource for physician assistant professionals to connect with other PA’s as well as learn what could be considered less formal information, such as tips. Although I am currently not a certified physician assistant, this blog also provides many resources for pre-physician assistant students such as mock interviews and even practice acceptance exams,8 which I intend to take advantage of these resources to prepare myself for my future as a physician

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

They are well-qualified, sought out individuals that have a passion for saving lives. They play a vital role in many hospitals, private practices, and many other settings. I plan to become one so I can create opportunities for myself to study medicine, give patient care, and successfully assist patients and families who require medical attention. These individuals are part of the working machine called our health care system. I believe that without Physician Assistants, the machine would not work nearly as efficiently and cohesively. I aspire to be a part of that

I was introduced to the profession when I just started the nursing program. I researched its history and the way the profession influenced the medical field. When I started to work in the hospital as an RN I’ve met many clinicians, including two Physician Assistants. They were generous not only with the attention to their patients, but were willing to answer questions regarding the scope of practice, the training, and everything associated with the profession. Many nights we were working side by side solving the mystery of our patients’ symptoms to prevent possible outcomes. Unlike some providers these two PAs were always easily accessible and resourceful.

Eager to thank the doctor for her work and that of her team, she humbly corrected me of her credential and instead introduced herself as a physician assistant (PA). This proclamation naturally elicited my curiosity, given that her tasks and leadership were similar to those traditionally associated with a Physician. Her professionalism, the length of time spent in explaining our infant diagnosis, educating us on how to apply the necessary ointment and medicines and patiently answering all our questions, caught and kept my attention. Despite the emotional commotion of that day, two things were clear to me. As a mother, I was encouraged and satisfied by PA’s compassionate treatment of my infant, however, as a fellow health professional, I was eager to know more about the PA profession.