Physician's Assistant

What does a physician assistant do?
(taken from UK’s Physician Assistant’s Web Page)

The physician assistant functions under the supervision and responsibility of a licensed physician and is competent to:

• elicit a comprehensive health history
• perform physical examinations
• interpret and evaluate diagnostic data
• establish basic treatment plans
• counsel and educate patients
• respond to commonly encountered emergency care situations

Physician assistants serve in a variety of clinical settings, such as primary care practices, geriatric long-term care facilities, hospitals, correctional institutions and community-based clinics. Program graduates also are competitive for positions in clinical research, health care administration and higher education. For more information on what a PA is, see web link below

Important Web Links:

• American Academy of Physician Assistants:
  http://www.aapa.org (click on “become a member” at top of page) (has a directory of schools, but must register)
• What is a PA?
  http://www.aapa.org/geninfo1.html
• For more details on specific Physician Assistant Programs, see the following school:
  
  • University of Kentucky:
    Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies:
    http://www.mc.uky.edu/pa/
    (for admission requirements and curriculum, see left panel)
  • Medical College of Ohio at Toledo:
    Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences Degree with a Physician Assistant concentration
    http://hsc.utoledo.edu/healthsciences/pa/index.html
    (for admission requirements and curriculum, see left panel)
• Directory of US PA programs:
  http://www.aapa.org/pgmlist.php3
• GRE information and application:
  http://www.gre.org