CHARACTER and VALUE: Physician Assistants are by character compassionate advanced medical providers and team builders through individual professional excellence in collaboration and partnership with physicians, consultants, fellows / residents, nursing and other medical staff, achieving high quality outpatient and inpatient care, through medical problem solving, working interdependently and assuming responsibility for their patients. PAs are cost effective medical providers for patients, businesses, and insurance plans, contributing to a solid financial foundation for the whole health care system.
MISSION and SERVICE: The Physician Assistant’s mission serves in all medical and surgical specialties, operating as established medical authorities with their physician colleagues, hospitals, practices, and clinics. PAs are extended Hospital medical credentials and privileges.
MEDICAL COMPETENCY: Physician Assistants are trained in the same medical model as are physicians. PA's medical training advances their expertise in all areas of medicine in a condensed time frame-Training is roughly two-thirds the length of medical school with 108 weeks of general primary care education. PAs further enhance their chosen medical specialty in a structured residency program and/or hand in hand with their physician colleagues. Physician Assistants must also pass a national medical certification board and recertify every six years. In many cases, experienced PAs bring their patients a level of experience and care that often exceeds that of medical residents and less experienced physicians. Frequently MDs in one area of medicine defer judgment to a Physician Assistant in another specialty.
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTs:Are rigorously medically trained and are licensed medical professionals as advanced medical providers who establish and build a medical practice diagnosing and treating their own patient roster, medically trained to serve in a variety of clinical settings, in all medical specialities including Cardiac care, Orthopaedics and Sports medicine, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Occupational Health, Pulmonary Care, Neurology, Gastroentology, Neonatology, Family Medicine, Urology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, in primary care practices, geriatric long-term care facilities, hospitals, correctional institutions, Federal and community-based clinics. In short, PAs are trained and certified advanced medical practitioners giving complete and outstanding patient care.
DEGREES OF AUTONOMY: Physician Assistants are generally excellent team builders respecting the limits of their Physician colleague’s medical professional relationships and state laws. It's vitally important that the Physician Assistant jobs and MD are similar in their team approach! This successful continuum includes Physician Assistants practicing significant autonomy in their medical practice, exclusive of a physician's presence, while other PAs want a much closer professional relationship with a consulting MD who is more, often than not, physically present for practical direction and oversight.
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT'S MEDICAL PRACTICE includes:
Physician Assistants provides comprehensive physical assessment.
Physician Assistants Evaluate, diagnose, and treat new and existing patient's medical and surgical conditions.
Physician Assistants Initiate and interpret labs and x-ray studies including CTs & MRIs.
Physician Assistants Perform high quality sophisticated medical and surgical procedures.
Physician Assistants Prescribe and refer patients for specialized consultation.
Physician Assistants Assist Physicians in medical and surgical procedures.
Physician Assistants Use prescriptive authority to write prescription medicines for patients.
Physician Assistants Write/Dictate medical notes in patients' charts indicating patient status, treatment & procedures.
Physician Assistants Conduct follow-up patient care.
Physician Assistants Provide health education to patients and families.
Physician Assistants Supervise and/or coordinate the activities of patient care and support staff within the clinic.
Physician Assistants Train and supervise medical residents engaged in specific clinical activities.
Physician Assistants Teach and train illness prevention.
Physician Assistants Actively participate in community health education.
Physician Assistants Perform emergency life saving procedures including cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, massive hemorrhage.
Physician Assistants Are among front line medical providers in emergency disaster services.
PATIENT'S EVALUATION:Patients highly value Physician Assistants for their exceptional people skills in uniting their advanced medical expertise with outstanding quality patient care by:
Physician Assistants have Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Physician Assistants Give the patient quality compassionate and empathetic caring.
Physician Assistants Give the patient more time through Active listening.
Physician Assistants Give the patient more easily understood feedback and instructions,
Physician Assistants Promote greater patient health and wellness.
resulting in patients often preferring medical treatment by physician assistants-associates...
"Consumers seek a broader array of health services than physicians have time, inclination, or expertise to address. Interdisciplinary care is a more efficient and effective strategy for providing care of high quality since all providers contribute what they do best." Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN Jan. 14, 2002 https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/447839
For patients with chronic illness, treatment by a multidisciplinary team represents the state of the art, with nonphysicians providing most of the routine care and ancillary services while physicians and PAs manage more acute and complex problems.
Physician Assistants KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES INCLUDE:
Physician Assistants have the ability to perform medical examinations using standard medical procedures.
Physician Assistants have knowledge of drugs and their indications, contraindications, dosing, side effects, and proper administration.
Physician Assistants have expertise in clinical operations and procedures.
Physician Assistants have expertise in primary care principles and practices.
Physician Assistants have expertise in patient care charts and patient histories.
Physician Assistants have expertise in Surgery, pre-op and/or post-op procedures.
Physician Assistants have expertise in CPR and emergency medical procedures.
Physician Assistants have expertise in current and emerging trends in technologies, techniques, issues, and approaches in area of expertise.
Physician Assistants have expertise in clearly communicating medical information to professional practitioners and the general public.
Physician Assistants have expertise in maintaining quality, safety, and/or infection control standards.
Physician Assistants have expertise to observe, assess, and record symptoms, reactions, and progress.
Physician Assistants have expertise to make administrative and procedural decisions.
Physician Assistants have expertise in related accreditation and certification requirements.
Physician Assistants are professionals in reacting calmly and effectively in emergency situations.
Physician Assistants have expertise in supervising and training staff, including organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments.
Physician Assistants have expertise in preparing and maintaining patient records.
Physician Assistants have expertise in educating patients and/or families as to the nature of disease and to provide instruction on proper care and treatment.
Physician Assistants believe when each medical team member is honored and celebrated for their skills, abilities, and love of medicine and patients, the whole team benefits and patients received the best available medical care making the whole health cares system fundamentally sound.©
