Physician Assistants

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,

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

Health authorities across British Columbia face challenges with providing high quality services due to limited funds allocated to the health care sector, staffing challenges, and increasing aging population (Vancouver Island Health Authority, 2013). As a response, Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) devised a plan known as Care Delivery Model Redesign (CDMR) where Health Care Assistants (HCAs) are expected to play a significantly larger role in

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.

More than 39.4 percent practice in hospital settings and 40 percent work in group practice or solo-physician office. Medicare patients are generally satisfied with the quality of health care they receive. They offer great financial benefits to their employees. Job activations for general PAs increased by forty-eight percent. PAs can prevent disease outbreaks after a natural disaster by working as part of a mobile health clinic. If you are going to be a PA, you have to be caring, observant, patient, calm during emergency situations, and emotionally and physically strong. PAs are very important and have a huge impact on our lives.

According to Health Resources and Services Administration If the system for providing primary care in 2020 were to stay fundamentally the same as today, there will be an estimated shortage of 20,400 primary care physicians ("Projecting the Supply and Demand for Primary Care Practitioners Through 2020," n.d.). In addition this projection doesn’t include the decreasing number of people perusing the medical degree and the baby boomers retiring form this filed of science. In the hand we are experiencing a significant increase in NPs and PAs. Considering this projected shortage, which is actually a very frightening situation the increasing number of NPs and PAs, can effectively be integrated; we could reduce the number of physician shortage by over 69 percent in 2020.

Physician assistant job description is stated to be able to practice medicine under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. PA 's are properly educated to offer diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services, as authorized by a physician. They record medical histories, examine and treat patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and x-rays, and make diagnoses (“Physician assistant job description,” n.d.). However, PAs may be the primary care providers in rural or inner city clinics where a physician is present for only one or two days each week. PAs may also make house calls, round in hospitals, and go to nursing care facilities to check on patients. In such cases, the PA consults with the supervising physician as needed and as required by law.

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

One good Career job in the medical field is to be a Physician Assistant. If a person wants to work under the Physician this is the job. They examine, diagnose, and treat patients under the supervision of the doctor. They also prepare casts, splints, suture small wounds and interpret medical tests. Another job duty is they can also prescribe medications. Some specialize in a specific area of medicine such as emergency care or other medical positions. Some may assist in advance medical techniques. PAs are often the first choice of medicine rural or underserved places. In some cases the PA will refer the patient to a medical doctor or make arrangements for transferring a patient to a hospital or clinic. The Career Outlook for this job is the employment

Medical Assistants help offices and clinics run smoothly. A Medical Assistant can work individually with a doctor. In a small office they tend to report directly to a physician, health practitioner or office manager. In a larger office they tend to specialized in a particular area and they report to department administrator or other operations management.

Risë Mitchell Personal Statement - BSN to DNP Program, Fall 2016 1 Tell us about your professional experience as a nurse. What have been the challenges and rewards of your career thus far? Ten years ago, I began my journey by enlisting in the Air Force as a Public Health Technician. In 2008, I was selected to attend a program called the Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP). This program trains all branches of the military following the UNMC Physician Assistant curriculum.

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

Nursing practice is separated by enlisted attendant's instructive readiness and level of practice, and is further characterized by the part of the medical caretaker and the work setting. Inside every kind of practice, person medical caretakers exhibit fitness along a continuum from learner to master (Benner, 1982). Enrolled medical caretakers can create aptitude in a specific forte and have this particular information base recognized through credentialing, for example, accreditation or different instruments. In spite of the fact that propelled rehearse enrolled medical attendants keep on performing a large number of the same exercises and intercessions utilized by different medical attendants, the distinction in their rehearse identifies with