Physician Assistant
PA’s are healthcare professional who work as a part of multidisciplinary team with supervision from physician to provide direct and continues care to patients.
The physician assistant profession alleviated doctor from performing routine technical task, allowing more patient to be served and help them focus where their skills would be better utilized.
HISTORY:
GLOBALLY- Physician assistant profession evolved in USA during the mid 1960s in response to shortage of primary care physician. Eugene A Stead Jr – Father of physician assistant, of the Duke University Medical Center assembled the first class of physician assistants in 1965, composed of four former US Navy Hospital Corpsmen who received considerable medical training during their military service. Stead based the curriculum of the PA program on his knowledge of the fast-track training of doctors during World War II. The first PA class graduated from the Duke University PA program on Oct 6, 1967. The PAs have demonstrated their clinical effectiveness both in terms of quality of care and patient acceptance.
MILESTONE OF PA
In India:
Physician assistant have been practicing in India over the past 30years and the profession is now one of the fastest growing segment of healthcare workforce.
Padma Shri Dr.K.M.Cherian gave life to the first physician assistant program in 1992 with only 14 students. The first PA degree from Madras Medical Mission 1995, were issued by Birla Institute of Technology and Science , Pilani, Rajasthan with the help of Prof. C.V. Ramakrishnan but are now granted by M.G.R. Medical university, Chennai.
There are nearly 57 physician assistant colleges in India. With just three graduates in 1994, the profession now grown to nearly 3000+ Pas with another 1000’s pursuing the program.
Why physician assistants :
Physician Assistants (PA) are academically prepared and highly skilled health care professionals who provide a broad range of medical services. PAs are physician extenders, and they work with a degree of autonomy, negotiated and agreed on by the supervising physician(s). PAs can work in any clinical setting to extend physician services. PAs complement existing services and aid in improving patient access to health care. A relationship with a supervising physician is essential to the role of the PA.
The PA’s scope of practice is determined on an individual basis and formally outlined in a practice contract or agreement between the supervising physician(s), the PA and often the facility or service where the PA will work. Activities may include conducting patient interviews, histories and physical examinations, performing selected diagnostic and therapeutic interventions or procedures, and counseling patients on preventive health care.
Roles and responsibilities :
Physician assistant work within a defined scope of practice and limits of competence . They :
- Take medical histories from patient
- Carryout physical examination
- See patients with undifferentiated diagnosis
- See patients with long term chronic conditions
- Formulate differential diagnosis management plans
- Perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
- Develop and deliver appropriate treatment and management plans
- Request and interpret diagnostic studies
- Provide health promotion and disease prevention advice for patients