PAs provide more health care access - Physician Assistants - Growth in the usage of physician's assistants - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Feb, 2004

The number of physician assistants in clinical practice continues to increase, as the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) estimates there will be more than 50,000 by the middle of this year. This projection more than doubles the number of PAs a decade ago.

Approximately 192,000,000 patient visits were made to physician assistants and 236,000,000 medications were prescribed or recommended by PAs in 2003. More PAs (33%) practice in family medicine than any other specialty. They account for about 38% of patient visits and around 44% of the total number of medications prescribed or recommended.

Physician assistants are licensed health professionals who practice medicine as members of a team working with supervising doctors. PAs deliver a broad range of medical and surgical services to diverse populations in rural and urban settings. They conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and prescribe medications.

"It's clear that physician assistants have become a significant part of the health care system, providing quality care in all medical specialties," indicates Stephen Crane, executive vice president and chief executive officer of AAPA. "With the intensive training required for the profession and focus on team practice with physicians, PAs have gained widespread acceptance by the public as well as the medical community."

A separate survey taken by AAPA revealed that 86% of physician assistants would choose their career all over again, and 95% would recommend the PA profession to a promising student. PAs practicing general pediatrics, family medicine, and emergency medicine report more patient visits per week than do physician assistants in other specialties. The most prevalent disorders treated are respiratory/ear-nose-throat infections, musculoskeletal disorders/injuries, allergic reactions, hypertension, and pain management.