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What is a Physician Assistant? Institutional Partnership and Mission |
What is a Physician Assistant?
PAs are qualified to take medical histories, examine patients, order and administer tests, make diagnoses, treat illnesses, and assist in surgery. They are trained to provide care that otherwise would be administered by a physician. Physician assistants can provide care as generalists in primary care situations, or in subspecialty areas of medicine. Common specialties in which PAs practice include family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, surgery, and pediatrics. Education Programs for PAs began in the mid-1960s to help offset a shortage of doctors. Many of the first PAs were former military medical corpsmen who wanted to use their training and continue in the medical field. Now there are over 130 PA education programs in a variety of academic and clinical institutions. PAs have become vital to bringing health care to underserved areas such as rural communities and enhancing efficiency in nearly every health care setting. In 1973 there were fewer than 1,500 practicing PAs. Today there are more than 66,000 PAs working across the United States. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment of Physician Assistants is expected to grow 27% from 2006 - 2016, much faster than average for all occupations in the United States. |
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University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 1725 State Street La Crosse, Wisconsin
54601 (608) 785-8000 All material Copyright 2004 by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System Comments To: webmaster@uwlax.edu |
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Physician assistants (PAs) are health professionals
licensed to practice medicine with the supervision of a physician.
Physician assistants work in a variety of practice settings including
hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and research centers.