{"id":52512,"date":"2015-06-25T06:31:58","date_gmt":"2015-06-25T13:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/?p=52512"},"modified":"2015-06-22T04:09:12","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T11:09:12","slug":"pa-physician-assistant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/pa-physician-assistant\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a PA (Physician Assistant) and Why You Should Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"dnote_05\"<\/p>\n

Last month I was invited to attend the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) conference in San Francisco. I didn\u2019t even know what a PA was, let alone what they do. However, what I learned that day has changed my approach to my family\u2019s health care.<\/p>\n

What is a PA?<\/h3>\n

PA stands for physician assistant and these can diagnose, prescribe, treat, perform\u00a0surgery, and offer continual care to patients. The main difference is that they have a supervising physician to collaborate\u00a0with and receive a more generalized education. Many\u00a0PAs have been gaining experience in the medical world for years before they become PAs, starting out as EMTs, nurses, or in other health\u00a0professions. Every two years, PAs\u00a0are required to get 100 hours of training in their specialties or in general practice (which they call \u201ccontinuing medical education\u201d) and then renew their license every 10 years.<\/p>\n

\"Health<\/p>\n

Since PAs are educated as generalists, who can work in every specialty, they\u2019re among the happiest and most content workers in medicine. You should have seen how positive the atmosphere was at the conference. It was obvious that these PAs take pride in what they do and that they truly care about the patients they see.<\/p>\n