Physician Assistant Education: Preparation for Excellence


HOW PAs BEGAN

In the mid-1960s physicians at Duke Medical School recognized the need for a health professional trained in the medical model who would work with physician supervision to extend patient access to care. These physicians, led by Dr. Eugene Stead, developed the concept of the physician assistant. They envisioned a medical school-type curriculum, geared toward primary care and focused to provide the appropriate education in an intense and uniquely designed curriculum. The physician assistant profession has retained this commitment to the medical educational model and to team practice with physician supervision.
 

THE EDUCATIONAL MODEL

Applicants to physician assistant programs must complete roughly two years of college courses in basic science and behavioral science as prerequisites to PA training. This is analogous to pre-med studies required of medical students. Preference is usually given to candidates who have prior experience in health care. Most PA students have earned a bachelor's degree and have an average of 38 months of health care experience before they are admitted to a program.[1]

The mean length of PA education programs is 26 months.[2] Educators of PAs include physicians, PAs, and basic scientists. Physician assistant education is characterized by an intense, yet practical curriculum, with both didactic and clinical components.

The first year of PA education provides a broad grounding in medical principles with a focus on their clinical applicability. This didactic curriculum typically consists of coursework in the basic sciences, including anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, physical diagnosis, pathophysiology, microbiology, clinical laboratory sciences, behavioral sciences, and medical ethics. In the second year, students receive hands-on clinical training through a series of clerkships or rotations in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. Rotations include family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, general surgery, emergency medicine, and psychiatry. Physician assistant students complete on average over 2,000 hours of supervised clinical practice prior to graduation.[3]

PA education is tightly structured and focused, and recognized by many as highly innovative, efficient, and effective. It is competency-based, meaning that students must demonstrate proficiency in various areas of medical knowledge and must meet behavioral and clinical learning objectives. Many other professions also offer competency based degrees. The MD, DO, DDS, and JD degrees are competency based.

Physician assistant programs are accredited by the independent Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), which is sponsored by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the Association of Physician Assistant Programs, and the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Accreditation standards are rigorous. Although all accredited PA programs must meet the same educational standards, they have the flexibility to offer a variety of academic degrees.[4] Graduation from an accredited PA education program remains the definitive credential. Only graduates of accredited programs are eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam administered by the independent National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and developed by the National Board of Medical Examiners.
 

EXCELLENCE IN PRACTICE

Numerous studies have repeatedly demonstrated that PAs, practicing as part of a supervising physician's team, provide high quality health care. Patient satisfaction with PA care also has been very high. The Office of Technology Assessment of the US Congress studied health care services provided by physician assistants and determined that, within their scope of practice, physician assistants provide health care that is indistinguishable in quality from care provided by physicians.[5]
 

REFERENCES

1. Nineteenth Annual Report on Physician Assistant Educational Programs in the United States, 2002-03. Alexandria, VA.  Association of Physician Assistant Programs.

2. Ibid

     

3.  Eleventh Annual Report on Physician Assistant Educational Programs in the United States, 1994-95.  Alexandria, VA : Association of Physician Assistant Programs.

4. Accreditation Standards for Physician Assistant Education, January 1, 2001. Marshfield, WI: Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc.

5. Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Certified Nurse-Midwives: A Policy Analysis, December, 1986. Washington, DC: Office of Technology Assessment, United States Congress.

Issue Brief: Physician Assistant Education:  Preparation for Excellence
1/04

Additional information about the AAPA and the PA profession can also be obtained from the AAPA fax on demand service. A quick summary on the profession can be found in Facts At A Glance. The AAPA staff is available to provide you with further information on the PA profession.

 

 

Last Revised: 1/06/04