The Role And Responsibilities Of A Physician Assistant

The physician assistant (PA) profession has been described as “one of the greatest innovations of the last half of the 20th century.”1(p1) The profession has been established for less than fifty years, but it has managed to develop and expand vastly within those years consisting of more than 105,000 certified physician assistants and more than 170 accredited physician assistant programs. Simply stated, a physician assistant is defined as a certified medical professional responsible for providing medical care and treatment under the supervision of a physician. In order to completely understand the role and importance of physician assistants in the medical field, the history of the profession must be acknowledged.

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.

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 physician assistant (PA) profession has grown exponentially and as a consequence more people are becoming familiar with the profession. The profession has grown in the United States from 80,019 certified PAs in 2010 to 115,547 certified PAs in 2016 which is an increase of 44.4% over the past 6 years.1 Furthermore, in the United States there are 36 PAs per 100,000 population.1(p6) PAs are found in all 50 states and the average salary among all certified PAs in all specialties is $104,131 making the profession ranked number 3 out of 100 best jobs.1(p11,21) Therefore, the PA profession is becoming more popular and demanding which makes for a competitive environment when applying to a PA graduate program.

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

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.

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

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.

The day to day duties of a physician assistant include many challenges. Bls.gov says “Working with patients can be both physically and emotionally demanding. Physician assistants who spend their time on their

Physician Assistants, or PA’s, work directly under the supervision and guidance of other medical professionals, such as physicians or surgeons. Their work includes mainly examining, diagnosing, and treating patients. PA’s typically review the medical history of patients, order tests to diagnose illnesses (such as x-rays and blood tests) and then interpret the results, make a diagnosis and then provide some sort of treatment (such as a cast or sutures), give information and advice to patients and their families, and prescribe medicine when needed. Furthermore, PA’s can work in any area of medicine, including family care, psychiatry, emergency medicine, or elsewhere. PA’s are highly qualified to take care of

One of the important acts that brought in the role of the Physician Assistants is the Affordable Care Act--ACA, passed by Congress in 2010 which created a value for the PA profession. Thus now there is a "formal recognition of PAs as providers of patient-centered, team-based primary medical care." (Hanson, Physician Assistants: Recognized, Valued in Healthcare Reform) Physician Assistants are now one of the vital parts of healthcare professionals in the U.S, and they are now integrated into newly established models of coordinated care. PAs are indispensable

Physician assistants or PAs generally practice medicine under a physician or surgeon’s direction. PAs are trained to do physical examinations, provide some treatment, and diagnose illnesses and injuries. They can also order x-rays and other laboratory tests, prescribe medications to patients, and treat small injuries which could include casting, suturing, and splinting. Many physician assistants work in primary care areas like pediatrics, internal medicine, and family medicine. Some even specialize in general surgery, orthopedics, geriatrics, and emergency medicine. PAs are an important part of the health care system and they have come a long way over time.

Physician assistants play a pivotal role in the healthcare industry. This profession emerged in the 1960’s as a response to the shortage of doctors entering the workforce (Hamilton, 2016). Physician assistants can do many things with the training that they receive during their schooling such as providing diagnostic evaluations, therapeutic remediation, surgical assistance, and pharmaceutical prescription ("Physician Assistant Career Information and Job Description"). Depending on their work experience, specialty, and the state that they practice in they may have different responsibilities. Some duties of a P.A. are to: order and interpret tests, take patients medical history, counsel patients on preventive care, conduct physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, write prescriptions, and assist in surgeries.

Physician Assistants can be used to fill these voids for primary medicine and insure healthcare facilities are able to meet their demand at any given time. Should the need for any specialty ever arise at a healthcare facility, whether it be cardiology, dermatology, orthopedics, emergency medicine, surgery or any other specialty, on staff physician assistants can be trained into those roles. Naturally this creates a high demand for this profession and it continues to increase. This is what the creators of the PA profession had in mind when they developed it in the 1960’s. They believed generalist-trained assistants who worked closely with physicians and would require a shorter period of training would enable them to respond to the marketplace demand of various surgical and medical roles.

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.