Have time to know your patients, not just their diagnosis

WHAT IS A PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT?
A physician assistant (PA) is a mid-level practitioner who acts as an extension of the physician in making diagnoses and treating patients on a basic level, so that the physician has more time to take care of the more seriously ill patients. The choice to pursue a PA career depends on what level of responsibility a person wants and what kind of interaction he or she wants with a patient. The PA and physician practice together together as a team based on mutual respect. PAs represent the physician by treating patients in the manner directed by the supervising physician.

WHAT AREAS OF MEDICINE CAN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS WORK IN?
PAs practice in the areas of primary care medicine — family medicine,internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology - as well as in surgery and the surgical subspecialties.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PA AND A PHYSICIAN?
One of the main differences between PA education and physician education is the amount of time spent in formaleducation. In addition to time in school, physicians are required to do an internship, and the majority also complete a residency in a specialty following that. PAs do not have to undertake an internship or residency.

A physician has complete responsibility for the care of the patient.  PAs share that responsibility with the supervising physicians.

HOW DID THE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROFESSION BEGIN?
In the mid-1960s, physicians and educators recognized there was a shortage and uneven distribution of primary care physicians. To expand the delivery of quality medical care, Dr. Eugene Stead of the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina put together the first class of PAs in 1965. He selected Navy corpsmen who received considerable medical training during their military service and in Vietnam but who had no comparable civilian employment. He based the curriculum of the PA program in part on his knowledge of the fast-track training of doctors during World War II.

About the physician assistant career…

• 44% of PAs are employed by a single- or multi-specialty physician group practice
• 22% are employed by hospitals
• 13% are employed by solo physician offices
• 9% are employed by a government agency
• 38% of PAs report that their primary specialty was one of the primary care fields
• Family/general practice medicine - 27%
• General internal medicine - 7%
• General pediatrics - 3%
• Obstetrics/gynecology - 2%
• Other prevalent specialties for PAs include –
• General surgery/surgical subspecialties - 25%
• Emergency medicine - 10%
• Subspecialties of internal medicine - 11%
• Dermatology – 3%
• The median total annual income for a full-time PA is $80,356

Information taken from the 2006 American Academy of Physician Assistants Census

WHAT IS THE JOB OUTLOOK FOR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS?
Employment of PAs is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2014. Job opportunities for PAs should be good, particularly in rural and inner-city clinics, because those settings have difficulty attracting physicians. Besides the traditional office-based setting, PAs should find a growing number of jobs in institutional settings such as hospitals, academic medical centers, public clinics, and prisons.

WEB SITES TO CHECK OUT
American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook