Those considering a Master鈥檚 in Physician Assistant program may wonder about the physician assistant鈥檚 role, especially as it relates to working with doctors and ultimately caring for patients.
The physician assistant position was created in the mid-1960s to help increase patient access to medical care. Since then, the number of physician assistants鈥攁nd their importance鈥攈as grown, especially in rural areas and other underserved communities. Today, physician assistants are a critical part of a healthcare practice鈥檚 medical team, and they are likely to play an even more crucial role in years to come, given a predicted shortage of healthcare professionals.
A big part of the physician assistant role is , especially the supervising physician. So, how do doctors and physician assistants work together?
The Role of the Physician Assistant
A physician assistant acts as an extension of a doctor鈥檚 practice, seeing patients whose condition or treatment needs may not warrant an appointment with the physician. The scope of their responsibilities is shaped by the needs of the supervising doctor鈥檚 specialization and by the patient鈥檚 condition.
Physician assistants can do many of the same things that doctors can, and they can serve as primary care providers. They can conduct physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, write prescriptions, order tests and interpret test results, and even assist with surgery. They also may be tasked with managing patient records.
While physician assistants complete much of the same undergraduate coursework as doctors, their training is not as lengthy or intense, as doctors complete a medical school curriculum and a multiyear residency鈥攚hich is why doctors are ultimately responsible for a patient鈥檚 care.
The Doctor-Physician Assistant Relationship
The physician assistant-doctor relationship can have a tremendous impact on how care is provided and the likelihood of successful patient outcomes.
By law, physician assistants must work under the supervision of a doctor (though they do not need to work in the same physical location), with the doctor ultimately assuming full responsibility for the patient鈥檚 care. This is one of the primary differences between a physician assistant and a nurse practitioner, who can work independently without the direct supervision of a physician in most states.
Physician assistants are trained in how to support doctors and collaborate to ensure patients receive the care they need. That means recognizing when a referral to the doctor is necessary, especially for complicated cases or those that require care that extends beyond the physician assistant鈥檚 normal duties.
Doctors typically view physician assistants and their contributions favorably and benefit from having them on their staff. Physician organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons, support the certification of physician assistants and the certification of physician assistant programs.
The contributions physician assistants make are recognized and valued by doctors, who generally understand that they could not see or treat as many patients without them.
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