Physician Assistant: The Alternative to Becoming a Doctor
- Sisters of STEM
- Oct 13, 2021
- 2 min read
When we think of our healthcare systems and the people who manage them, we often think of surgeons, nurses, specialized technicians, pharmacists, and many other professionals that work in hospitals, clinics, and other places that have healthcare professionals. However, there are some that we don’t even realize exist, and that plays an essential role. One especially important job is the physician assistant.
A physician assistant, or PA, is a “medical professional who diagnoses illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serves as a patient’s principal healthcare provider,” according to the American Association of Physician Assistants.
An interdisciplinary option
PAs are supervised by doctors, so they don’t have full responsibility for clinical situations. As the name indicates, they are assistants to the doctors. PAs are also different from nurse practitioners (NP) since they have a general education in medicine and are formally trained to practice it. These small differences put PAs in a small niche within the medical professional world.
History of the PA
This profession is fairly new in comparison to other jobs in the field; physician assistants were formerly recognized by the American Medical Association in 1971, four years after the first class of PAs graduated, and only 50 years ago. The job was created in response to the expanding medical field to improve healthcare. PAs were needed to help keep the number of primary care physicians matched to the population, and to help with physician shortages.
PAs today
Today, there are about 150,000 physician assistants in the United States, with 227 accredited programs. The programs are about 3 academic years, compared to the four years of medical school and 2-8 years of residency. Most PAs today work in outpatient offices or hospitals and is one of the best and fastest-growing jobs in the US.
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