A PA is a Physician Assistant; PA-C stands for Physician Assistant-Certified.

Physician assistants are health care professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. Physician assistants (PAs) are found in all areas of medicine. They practice in the areas of primary care medicine - that is family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology -- as well in surgery and the surgical subspecialties.

Physician assistants receive a broad education in medicine. Their education is ongoing after graduation through continuing medical education requirements and continual interaction with physicians and other health care providers.

Job duties involve taking medical histories, performing physical exams, ordering diagnostic tests, and diagnosing and treating illness.   In Maine and most other states, PA's have prescriptive privileges. PAs in the Emergency Department also perform a wide variety of procedures.

There are over 130 accredited PA programs throughout the United States.  Several years of health-care experience is required for admission into PA programs.  All graduating PA's must sit for the same national certifying exam.  Certification is a way of ensuring that all PA's maintain the same standard of core knowledge.  To maintain certification, a PA must log 100 hours of CME (continuing medical education) every two years.  Every six years, PAs must take a national re-certification exam.

The profession was started nearly 40 years ago to help with physician shortages in rural and inner city areas.  Many of the first PA's were medics from the Korean War.  The PA profession has evolved over the years and today you will find PA's in all areas of health care.  PA's may take a post-graduate residency, such as in Emergency Medicine.  Unlike physicians however, residencies are not required to work as a PA.

To learn more about the PA profession, just visit www.aapa.org.

Jane Reinoso, PA-C