Physicians Assistant

Have you been to your doctor’s office and wondered, “Just what does a PA do”? In answer to that question, American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA.org) has put together some great information about what PAs can do, their training, and their clinical relationship with Doctors. What is a PA? A physician assistant (PA) is a medical professional who is nationally certified and state-licensed to practice medicine. All PAs are graduates of an accredited PA educational program. PAs are licensed to practice and authorized to prescribe medication in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and all U.S. territories with the exception of Puerto Rico. They practice medicine in all settings and specialties. In light of a projected physician shortage—estimated at 90,000 by 2020, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges—America’s more than 95,000 PAs have the training, flexibility and agility to respond immediately to the demands placed on the US healthcare system. Read more at http://www.aapa.org/landingquestion.aspx?id=290 Further details are in this PDF created by the AAPA: The Physician-PA Team – PDF