The Physician Assistant

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The Physician Assistant Physician Assistants; what do they do, where do they come from, and a personal perspective are some of the things that will be discussed in this paper. First off, let’s talk about what a Physician Assistant is. PAs are medical providers with a Masters level education at minimum. Physician Assistants are licensed to diagnose and treat illnesses and disease as well as prescribe medication for patients. Physician Assistants work in a vast amount of environments; anywhere from a private practice at military installations, military combat operations overseas, correctional institutions, research centers, doctor’s office and hospital settings that include areas anywhere from the pediatric department, the surgical ward, the orthopedic section, internal medicine clinics etc. Physician Assistants undergo education and graduate from an accredited PA educational program and certification board named the national commission on certification of Physician Assistants also known as the NCCPA. There are a few things that might be confusing to someone who has not had much interaction with Physician Assistants. Some people think that Physician Assistants are assistants to a physician. Physician Assistants work together with doctors in a medical team; PAs have their own patients under a written agreement with a licensed physician and make clinical decisions and provide a broad range of care, from diagnosis to complete patient care that includes minor procedures, prescription of medications, and depending on specialty many other services. Another thing that people might be confused about is what the difference between a nurse practitioner and a Physician Assistant is. Since Physician Assistants have to work in sync and under a qualified physician, Physician Assistants were closer to a physician in terms of hours and are restricted to the guidance a

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