A Physician’s Assistant, or a physician extender, works under the supervision of a more highly qualified practitioner. In certain circumstances, however, especially in urban areas particularly undeserved by healthcare, PA’s may only report to their supervisors as infrequently as once or twice in a week.
PA’s perform a variety of tasks in order to free up the physician to perform procedures demanding a higher level of specialized training and clearance. In this article, I offer a sketch of the certifications required to work as a PA in America, where they work, and what responsibilities they typically bear.
Duke University’s is generally accredited as the first to train PA’s during the 1960′s. They began by training military corpsmen for a second career after they concluded their tours of duty.
The NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physical Assistants) currently administers a qualifying exam for licensing as a PA in most states. To maintain their license, students must complete 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years. Additionally, they must undergo a re-certification exam every six years.
The hours a PA works depend directly on the hours of the physicians to whom they subordinate. You can find PA’s in hospitals where they remain on call and work variable shifts. They may also work in clinical settings with more standard, 40-hour weeks. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 24% of PA’s worked in either surgical or general hospitals as of 2008. Over 15% of them practiced at more than location. PA’s may also work in correctional facilities among a variety of other settings that require on-site health care services.
The responsibilities PA’s carry out vary almost as widely as the individuals who occupy the positions.
Some of them perform more clerically oriented tasks. For example, a PA may interview patients and record their case histories. Others will make house calls on behalf of the physician in order to monitor a home bound patient. Another large part of the PA’s responsibility sometimes includes informing and educating patients on issues pertaining to preventative health care. PA’s will receive training required to interpret and record information provided by X-ray results. In 48 states, licensed PA’s may prescribe medications as well. PA’s will sometimes also participate in more invasive surgical procedures: stitching minor cuts, putting broken limbs in casts, etc.
Clinics and hospitals can pay PA’s less than physicians. For this reason, they appeal increasingly as an alternative to hiring physicians when possible as restraints continue to tighten in the health care sector. PA’s make health care practices more efficient. They do so both practically and financially by performing more routine services of a health care practice’s workload. The shouldering of this work frees up more time for physicians to perform the more intricate work requiring their specialized training.
In 2005, the United States Department of Labor projected a 57% growth in demand for PA’s from 2000 to 2010. The demand for this type of employee will continue to increase in medically under-staffed urban and rural areas. It will also increase in correctional facilities as the total incarcerated population continues to climb.
Works Cited
- Robertson, Kenneth R. “Physician Extenders.” Encyclopedia of Health Care Management. 2003. SAGE Publications. Accessed 1 Sep. 2011. <http://www.sage-ereference.com.libproxy.temple.edu/view/healthcaremanagement/n609.xml>.
- Scott Chavez, R. “Physician Assistants.” Encyclopedia of Prisons & Correctional Facilities. 2004. SAGE Publications. Accessed 1 Sep. 2011. <http://www.sage-ereference.com.libproxy.temple.edu/view/prisons/n262.xml>.
- Smith, Cary Stacy Hung, Li-Ching. “Physician Assistants.” Encyclopedia of Health Services Research. 2009. SAGE Publications. Accessed 1 Sep 2011. <http://www.sage-ereference.com.libproxy.temple.edu/view/healthservices/n319.xml>.
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