Physician Assistant FAQ

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Physician assistants (PAs) are skilled members of the health care team who practice medicine with the supervision of licensed physicians, providing medical care services that would otherwise be performed by a physician. This includes a broad range of services, including taking medical histories, performing examinations, ordering and interpreting tests, making diagnoses and determining treatments. In a growing number of states, PAs write prescriptions.

The first PAs were educated at Duke University where the first training program consisted for four former military corpsmen. The first PAs graduated, and began practicing in 1967. Twenty five years and 20,000 PAs later, PAs have become a familiar and well-respected part of the health care team, working in all 50 states in virtually all medical specialties and settings.

Role of the Physician Assistant
PAs and physicians work together with other health care providers, in a unique partnership. Although the PA works with the physician’s supervision, the physician need not be present when the PA is seeing patients. The relationship between PA and physician is based on mutual trust and reliance. The physician can delegate tasks to the PA, based on the PA’s experience, education and the particular practice setting. In this way, the PA and physician compliment each other and work together to provide medical care to patients.

The physician assistant provides both diagnostic and therapeutic health care so that physicians can spend more time on complex patient problems. Studies show that PAs can perform about 85% of the duties that would otherwise require a physician. Practices can see and treat, more patients. Both physicians and PAs have more time to meet with individual patients, and waiting times are reduced.

PAs provide a wide range of primary care as well as specialty care. Like physicians, PAs can also specialize in a particular area of medicine. Popular specialties include family practice, surgery, internal and emergency medicine.

Practice Settings
Physician assistants work in a wide variety of medical settings, including private practices, hospitals, HMO’s, nursing homes, student health services and urban and rural clinics.

The U.S. Government, which has financially supported PA educational programs since 1971, was quick to realize the value of physician assistants. PAs serve as commissioned officers in all branches of the armed forces. The Veterans Administration, Bureau of Prisons, and Public Health Service all use PAs. Military physician assistants are even found on the White House medical staff.

Education
Physician assistants are educated at medical programs located primarily in university programs located primarily in university schools of medicine and allied health. There are over 50 accredited PA programs nationwide, most of which require 24 months to complete. Most programs require applicants to have completed two years of college prior to admission and to have previous health care experience. Not surprisingly, many PAs are former allied health professionals who were in interested in practicing medicine.

The education of PA students is similar to that of medical students, although shorter in length: A nine to 12 month didactic phase is followed by 12 to 15 months of supervised clinical "rotations." An academic degree and/or certificate is awarded upon graduation, depending on the institution and the educational background of the student.

Physician assistant programs are accredited on behalf of the American Medical Association by the Committee on Allied health Education and Accreditation, which is recognized by the federal government as the national accrediting agency for all allied health programs. Accreditation is based on quality standards deemed essential for PA education. Only those students graduating from accredited PA programs may take the national certifying examination.

Credentials
PAs are certified by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants. In order to be certified, PAs must pass an examination developed by the National Board of Medical Examiners. Like physicians, PAs maintain their certification through ongoing education and periodic examination. PAs must earn 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years, and complete a recertification examination every six years.

Impact on Health Care Delivery
PAs working with physicians promote better distribution of health care services and can improve access to care in rural and underserved communities, as well as among the elderly. They also increase practice efficiency within ambulatory care practices, reduce patient waiting time and allow physicians more time for difficult cases.

PAs improve patient rapport, compliance and satisfaction through increased counseling and education and can reduce the frequency and duration of costly hospitalizations by stressing preventive health care. The use of PAs also prevents higher costs for health care through increased practice productivity.

The PA profession is one of the fastest growing careers in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The demand for PA services is fueled by the recognition that PAs are a cost effective way to provide quality health care to an increased number of patients.

Information provided by Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants

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