Physician Assistant Professionalism Essay

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Armeghan Bagherpour Physicians Assistants: Professionalism As the profession of the physician assistant has grown, the professional standards of the profession have grown more rigorous. Professional behaviors required of physician's assistants have become more defined. These include such things as being timely with providing and passing along important information. The standards of professionalism for the physician's assistant, as described by the National Commission on Certification of Physicians Assistants (NCCPA) include: accountability to patients, society, and the profession; commitment to excellence and on-going professional development; commitment to ethical principles pertaining to provision or withholding of clinical care, confidentiality …show more content…

Holding physician's assistants accountable is one of the most important steps that have to be taken to ensure that patients receive the best possible care, and that the profession begin to establish its reputation as one of the most important caregiving professions. This means that physicians' assistants must be prepared to adhere to standards of ethics outlined by the NCCPA which include the confidentiality of patient information. This has become a bigger and bigger issue as information technology has advanced, so PAs must be careful about the transmission of patient information, being mindful of the potential for abuse that this information can have if handled carelessly. Along with the timely transmission of information - including referrals, chart updated, and completing tasks on time - handling of confidential patient information is a critical part of PA professionalism. The emphasis on continuing education is something that must also be incorporated into the daily routine of the PA. As new treatments, drugs, and procedures are discovered and introduced, it is the responsibility of the PA to keep up with this new information. This can be challenging, but giving patients the most up-to-date methods and medications is one of the most important things that a PA can do. For this reason it is included in the profession's standards of …show more content…

Timeliness, ethical behavior, and continuing education are just a few of the aspects of this profession that will continue to be important in the future. Making sure that these standards are adhered to will help to make the role of the physician's assistant one that is honored for those standards. This is why it is so important to make sure that these standards are kept from the beginning of the career onwards. Solid ethical principles backed by exacting standards of professional behavior are necessary to professionalize the role of the physician's

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