Physician Assistant Careers

Physician assistants, or PA's, practice medicine under direction and supervision of a licensed physician. PA's are not doctors, but they can perform a lot of the same medical care that doctors can. They can work in hospitals, clinics and private offices. In private offices or rural areas, PA's can provide most of the medical care while physician comes to the office or is available only two or three days a week.

Some of the duties a physician assistant may be responsible for are listed below:

• PA's may document patient medical histories.
• They may also order and interpret laboratory tests including x-rays.
• Physician assistants can examine and treat patients and make diagnoses.
• They can treat minor injuries by performing suturing, splinting, and casting which are procedures that they have been properly trained to perform.
• PA's are permitted to provide counsel and medical instruction to their patients to maintain their health or to help patients better handle living with a particular medical condition.
• In most states, physician assistants are allowed to prescribe medications to their patients.
• They may also provide therapeutic healthcare services to their patients.
• PA's must monitor and record progress of their patients and the affects of their treatments. They must also be able to effectively communicate and explain changes in conditions, positive or negative, to their patients.

Sometimes, physician assistants are given the responsibility to order medical supplies and equipment. In addition, they may also be given supervisory responsibilities over technicians and medical assistants. Depending on where they are employed, PA's may also make house calls or visit patients at hospitals or nursing facilities to check on their status.

In surgery settings, a PA can provide preoperative care, work as a first or second assistant under the surgeon during the surgery and provide postoperative patient care.

Education information:
Interested individuals must pass numerous aptitude tests and complete two or three year medical degrees in order to obtain their certification to work as a physician assistant. Once certified, PA's can practice in a variety of medical fields or specialties like general internal medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, orthopedics, emergency medicine or general and thoracic surgery. Prospective PA's must also know that their duties may vary depending on which state they work in and on what duties are delegated to them from their supervising physicians.

Medical and healthcare careers related to the field:

• CNA - Certified Nursing Assistant
• Licensed Practical Nurse
• Medical Assistant
• Nursing
• Nursing Aid
• Nurse Practitioner
• Physician