What is a Physician Assistant?

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

Physician Assistants are mid-level practitioners who are trained and licensed to diagnose and treat medical conditions.They attain patient medical histories, perform physical examinations and procedures, prescribe medications, perform and decipher tests, provide information on preventive health care and refer patients to specialists as needed.

PA’s are medical professionals who have their own license and do not work under a physician’s license. They should not be mistaken for medical assistants, who carry out mostly administrative and basic medical duties.

With their education based on the medical model, Physician Assistants not only go through an extensive accredited PA program they must also pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam. After that they must take a national recertifying exam every six years as well as register their certificate every two years and maintain continuing medical education (CME) credits.

 When seeing a Physician Assistant, with their thorough training and educational standards, you can be confident that you will receive quality care.

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