Origins of the Physician Assistant Career
Physician assistants (PAs) are a significant part of the nation’s health care workforce. As licensed clinicians capable of performing multiple therapeutic and diagnostic tasks, PAs currently work across different medical care specialties. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the factors led to the development of the PA profession including, social catalysts, its founding characters, and the career’s initial philosophy.
In 1965, due to a scarcity of primary care providers, the first educational program for PAs was established at Duke University (Bodenheimer & Cramback, 2009). The society was in need of a new type of medical provider. Therefore, Duke University PA program’s intent was to mainly solve the issue in primary care workforce by educating midlevel providers. The first PA graduates in the nation were medically trained individuals with military background (Gerrie & Holbrook, 2013).
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Thelma Ingles, a registered nurse, and Dr. Eugene A, Stead, were the pioneers of Duke MSN program in 1958 (Pollitt & Raesman, 2011). Both wanted to bring a solution to the imminent shortage of clinicians during the 1950’s and 1960’s. However, due to inability to obtain program accreditation, the program soon closed and Stead shifted his perspective from training nurses to training military corpsmen.
According to Kent (2010), in 1965, Stead admitted and trained the first class of PAs consisting of former Navy corpsmen. The PA students were trained under a medical education model, to effectively provide health services. Two years later (1967), the first class of PAs consisting of three clinicians graduated. The initial role of PAs was to improve and expand health care at a primary care level. Nonetheless, over the years, the function of PAs in health care evolved
With increasing number of Physicians choosing not to go into primary care and increasing number of baby boomers crossing 65 years by the 2030, there is a very high demand for APRNs to fill up those gaps. The consensus model, which was first initiated in 2004, has been revised many times and finalized in 2008. It helps to regulate APRNs with licensure, accreditation, certification and education (Stanley, 2012).
APRN’s have been practicing formally, providing primary care, since the 1960s. The importance of APRN’s role has increased over the years with the shortage of primary care physicians plus the increase demands of accessible and affordable care. It’s important to differentiate and understand APRN’s roles, and the purpose of this interview. Further, to develop my opinion and formulate a recommendation.
“Dedicated to enhancing professional and personal growth for allied health professionals, American Medical Technologists (AMT) awards the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential to qualifying individuals.
AAPA also strive to create progressive work environments for physician assistants. Developing and pursuing legal strategies to expand and protect the PA scope of practice thus achieving a more autonomous work environment. Also developing plans and solution to remove any workplace-imposed barriers to PA practice thus creating a positive working environment for PAs across the country.
The various kinds of health professionals are educated in separate schools but with considerable overlap in curricula and training requirements. They are, however, expected to integrate their training and work together after graduation. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of this approach to professional education in terms of costs, educational efficiency, and patient care quality. List one advantage and one disadvantage for each.
The physician assistant profession has come a long way of / for the time of Buddy Treadwell . PAs have continued to earn respect and further increase awareness about the profession to the public . According to Research on the PA profession : The medical model shifts the measure of the overall clinical efficiency , with the addition of a PA , was found to be 76% . In addition to improving overall clinic experience , PAs are an extremely cost-effective addition to a practice . This is supported by evidence that dates back to the early 2000's .
Both the Physician’s Assistant and Nurse Practitioner professions are relatively new in medicine. (American Association of Physician Assistants, n.d) Interestingly, these professions were born of necessity during physician shortages in the 1960s. According to Michener, the first
While the demand of healthcare need increasers the United States facing a physician shortage. In recent years the number of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) has significantly increased and they are taking the part in providing healthcare cervices to the majority of patients. I believe nurse practitioners and physician assistants can practice independently from doctors and be free of oversight. Expanding the scope of NPs and PAs is essential to overcome the healthcare crisis we are facing; it will increase patient satisfaction and stabilizing the healthcare economy.
In the article "PA Education in an Evolving Health Care", they discuss modern PA education. PA education is known for its adaptability. Adaptability, I feel, is an important quality in a program. Why? This is important since times change, so do the needs of people. It is also known for being able to change based on society. The average program length, is 26 months (Glicken 17). One question proposed in the article was if the PA programs were actually preparing people. The curriculum needs to challenge students, and also teach them. Schools only want the best education possible. I like that education is a concern. I like how they want an excellent education. Within courses, PAs have the opportunity to provide checkups under supervision. We need more programs with hands-on opportunities.
The physician assistant (PA) profession has grown exponentially and as a consequence more people are becoming familiar with the profession. The profession has grown in the United States from 80,019 certified PAs in 2010 to 115,547 certified PAs in 2016 which is an increase of 44.4% over the past 6 years.1 Furthermore, in the United States there are 36 PAs per 100,000 population.1(p6) PAs are found in all 50 states and the average salary among all certified PAs in all specialties is $104,131 making the profession ranked number 3 out of 100 best jobs.1(p11,21) Therefore, the PA profession is becoming more popular and demanding which makes for a competitive environment when applying to a PA graduate program.
Physician assistant were not to popular begin with unlike today. Many physicians opposed to the ideas of having physician assistant in presence as a territory invasion. Physician assistants were brought up as stole stealer, lesser doctor. Although some physicians saw the benefits of having extra hands to help around, but majority viewed it as someone taking their jobs and duty. However, a few years later, this view began to revise. Physicians began to notice the benefits of having physician assistants around. Physician assistant assisted generate surplus revenue for doctor expenses. In addition, PAs also aid doctors with stress as doctors have less patients to see for themselves and able to do other stuffs. These are just some of the historical fact of how Pas became into
Physician Assistants are also known as a PA’s; they practice medicine under the direction of physicians and surgeons. They formally trained to examine patients, diagnose injures and illness, and provide treatment. Physician Assistants also evaluate and treat patients under the supervision of doctors and surgeons. A Physician Assistants is a graduate of an accredited Physician Assistant educational program who is nationally certified and state- licensed to practice medicine with the supervision of a physician. Core tasks of a Physician Assistant are they take medical histories and examine patients. They Interpret lab test and make diagnoses, Treat minor injuries with stitches, splints, casts, and prescribes certain medications, The
A healthy primary care base is critical to the running of an effective health care system. People who have access to PCP’s are more likely to receive preventive and timely care for medical conditions. Having a PCP is also associated with fewer emergency department visits and fewer hospital admissions (Abrams, Nuzum, Mika, & Lawlor, 2011). Developed countries have made primary care the foundation of their healthcare system. The U.S. followed this model until 1949, and since that time PCP’s have been steadily declining (Shi & Singh, 2015). A study by West and Dupras in 2012 showed that only 21.5 percent of third year internal medicine residents intended to continue on and make general internal medicine their career (Shi & Singh, 2015). Today, most medical school graduates are entering specialties such as anesthesia, cardiology and
Primary care medicine, being the back bone of the medical system in the United States, has been declining over the past several years. Many states report shortages in graduating medical students selecting a residency in primary care. These changes lengthen the gap between physicians and the general public, making it harder for patients to have continuous and comprehensive care. The demand for primary care physicians (PCPs) cannot be overlooked. Having a long-term relationship with a PCP has many benefits as they track health over the years and monitor any changes that need to be addressed. For that reason and many more, I am passionate about becoming a PCP and participating as the first line of care for my future patients.
Handpicked by the Medical Group Commander to be the Assistant Director of Group Education and Development from 1998-1999 to reenergize Group Education. Executed professional development programs for 850 personnel that included newcomers and clinical care competency orientation requirements. Directed and managed programs to meet professional and career development. Organized continuing education programs based on the annual needs assessment. Researched future continuing education in and out of state for all professional corps. I was the consultant to medical group executive members and committees on all educational matters. Monitored licensure status of professional nurses and pharmacists. Key member of the local Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare center.