Physician Assistant Essay

1330 Words3 Pages

Healthcare in the modern area is a complex and multilayered network. Its structure is based upon multiple different professions and departments that all work cohesively to provide quality care, diagnosis and treatment to every patient that enters the database. No matter the individual credentials, every medical professional’s role is vital to the healthcare system but presently there is a heavy demand for the physician assistant profession. The physician assistant or (PA) is a team-based patient-centered provider who can practice autonomously or in collaboration with members of a patient’s healthcare team all while under the guidance of a physician. Modeled on the medical school curriculum, they undergo rigorous education and once licensed, …show more content…

They are highly skilled clinicians who have received extensive didactic and clinical training which allows them to thrive in all areas of the peri-operative to the post-operative environment, write orders and prescribe medication. Even in the absence of a physician, surgical PA’s are qualified to handle many tasks of a fully trained surgeon and can exercise autonomy in medical decision making. They can also handle minor problems and procedures, write orders in the recovery room, dictate discharge summaries and explain discharge instructions to patients thus allowing the surgeon to attend to more complex patients. This end to end involvement from initial assessment to post-surgical follow up enables surgical PA’s to provide unparalleled continuity of patient care. They can also participate in research and administrative roles such as being on a hospital committee for selecting surgical equipment based on the demands of its surgeons and OR …show more content…

The first is graduating from an ARC-PA Program that is surgically focused such as the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Physician Assistant Studies Program. Most, if not all, physician assistant programs in the United States are now accredited by the association of American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and offer a master’s degree once completed. The second is the completion of a surgical residency after attending school. The Emory University School of Medicine, based in Atlanta, Georgia, offers certified graduates the opportunity to earn their surgical license through a one-year program designed to build extensive surgical skills. While not required, such residencies offer the opportunity to expand a PA’s skill set while gaining the experience needed to manage patients in the pre-, intra- and postoperative settings. The third, and final, method for becoming a surgical PA is on-the-job training after graduating from an accredited program. Those who complete one of these three routes take a national certification exam given by the National Commission for the Certification of PAs (NCCAP), and are then licensed by that individual state to receive credentials for specific practice privileges by each hospital board. Surgical PAs are also able to practice anywhere the surgeon has

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