We celebrated Physician Assistants (PAs) Week October 6-12. Now, and always, we recognize PAs and their contribution to healthcare.
Here at UMC, we have Physician Assistants who work throughout our hospital, practicing in Internal Medicine, Neurology, Wound Care, Oncology, Nephrology, Palliative Care and Emergency Medicine, to name a few! Physician Assistants offer high quality health care in both inpatient and outpatient settings under a physician’s supervision.
They are educated in an extensive program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).1 The average program is 26 months. There are 130 accredited programs in the United States and Texas has 7. PAs undergo rigorous didactic and clinical education during this time. They must pass the PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam) in order to become a certified PA, or PA-C. Physician Assistants can gather histories, examine, diagnose, order labs and other diagnostics, assist in surgery and write prescriptions, along with so much more!
So, if you see a PA in the hall, stop and tell them, “Thanks for all you do!”
Reference:
1 Texas Academy of Physician Assistants