Chapter 10

PA Settings

-Hospitals -Clinics -Physicians' offices Medical specialties -Family practice -Internal medicine -General surgery -Emergency medicine -Pediatrics -Orthopedic surgery -Thoracic surgery -Geriatrics

Employment Change

-Employment of PAs is expected to grow 30% from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. -Projected rapid job growth reflects the expansion of healthcare industries and an emphasis on cost containment, which results in the increasing use of PAs by healthcare establishments. -Physicians and institutions are expected to employ more PAs to provide primary care and to assist with medical and surgical procedures. -PAs are cost-effective and productive members of the healthcare team.

Licensure

-All states and the District of Columbia have legislation governing the qualifications or practice of physician assistants. -All jurisdictions require physician assistants to pass the physician assistant national certifying examination (PANCE).

Education and Training

-At least 2 years and full time -Most programs are in schools of allied health, academic health centers, medical schools, or 4-year colleges. -Many accredited PA programs have clinical teaching affiliations with medical schools. -Depending on the program, one might earn a master's, bachelor's, associate's, or a certificate upon completion of the study requirements. -Students should take courses in biology, English, chemistry, mathematics, psychology, and the social sciences. -PA education includes classroom instruction in biochemistry, pathology, human anatomy, physiology, microbiology, clinical pharmacology, clinical medicine, geriatric and home health care, disease prevention, and medical ethics. -Students obtain supervised clinical training in several areas, including family medicine, internal medicine, surgery, prenatal care and gynecology, geriatrics, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and pediatrics.

Employment Trends

-Employment is expected to grow much faster than average—healthcare establishments increasingly use PAs to contain costs. -Job opportunities for PAs should be good, particularly in rural and inner-city clinics; these settings typically have difficulty attracting physicians.

Job Prospects

-Job opportunities for PAs should be good, particularly in rural and inner-city clinics because those settings have difficulty attracting physicians. -Opportunities will be best in states that allow PAs a wider scope of practice.

Physician Assistant work description

-Provide routine diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive healthcare services under the direction and supervision of a physician. -Take medical histories, examine patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and X-rays, and make preliminary diagnoses. -Treat minor injuries by suturing, splinting, and casting. -PAs record progress notes, instruct and counsel patients, and order or carry out therapy.

Certification

-To remain certified, PAs must complete 100 hours of continuing medical education every 2 years. -Beginning in 2014, PAs must pass a recertification examination or complete an alternative program combining learning experiences and a take-home examination every 10 years.

Physician Must Supervise PAs

PAs always work under the supervision of a physician. The extent of supervision depends on the work setting. -May provide most of the health care for patients and consult with the supervising physician and other medical professionals as needed or required by law. PAs may make house calls or go to hospitals and nursing homes to check on patients and report to the physician.

Employment Opportunities

PAs held about 91,670 jobs in 2014. -The number of jobs is greater than the number of practicing PAs because some hold two or more jobs. -Some PAs work with a supervising physician, but also work in another practice, clinic, or hospital.

Enrichment Activities

Use the Internet to research national organizations associated with nurses, PAs, medical doctors, and doctors of osteopathy. -Compare and contrast the responsibilities of a PA with a nurse, a medical doctor, or a doctor of osteopathy. Use the Internet to research the history and development of the PA profession. -Identify the reason(s) why the profession was created and when and how the federal government and insurance companies decided to reimburse care provided by PAs. -Prepare a written narrative of this information to your instructor.