In Honor of Physician Assistants Week …

As we celebrate national Physician Assistants Week (Oct. 6-13) we thank and honor PAs for their tireless efforts while displaying the versatility, knowledge and judgement necessary to fully support practices and improve every aspect of patient care.

Ask any healthcare provider about the role of a physician’s assistant within a practice, and you might hear an echo.

In many ways, a physician assistant’s value is inextricably aligned with that of a doctor. Similar to a practice’s administrative team(s) and medical support staff, a PA performs a wide variety of vital tasks daily in support of doctors, surgeons, specialists, hospitals, emergency centers and more.

According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), about one-third of all physician assistants in the U.S. practice in primary care, while about 38 percent practice in hospital settings and 37 percent work in a group practice or solo physician’s office. Of the estimated 2,177 physician assistants working in Arizona, 67 percent work outside of a primary care practice.

Since physician assistants work in nearly every healthcare environment, they also work within nearly every type of practicing medicine. Their roles include:

• Order and interpret tests
• Take a patient’s medical history
• Counsel patients on preventive care
• Conduct physical and psychological examinations
• Diagnose and treat illnesses including cancer
• Write prescriptions
• Assist in surgeries

Numerous and varied opportunities to make a difference in patient lives every day, strong earning potential and a collaborative, team-first working environment are three major reasons why U.S News and World Report listed the PA profession No. 1 in satisfaction among all healthcare related occupations.

It’s hardly surprising, then, that the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants lists approximately 130,000 certified physician assistants currently working in the United States today, a total projected to increase dramatically during the next decade.

In other words, the PA profession has come a long way since the first class of physician assistants in the country graduated from Duke University in 1967 as a way to combat a national shortage of healthcare providers.