PA's (Physician Assistants) are mid-level healthcare practitioners who
work in a variety of specialties and primary care.  We are dependent
practitioners; we must have physician "supervision."  We cannot set up
practice on our own.  The extent of that supervision varies slightly from
state to state.  It does NOT usually mean ON-SITE supervision but always
requires review of charts.

P.A.'s are trained in AMA approved programs that range from 18-36
months--but don't get EXCITED--for applicants must ALSO have at least 2
years of "heavy" science college work and at least some medical
experience.  Most have other degrees before entering a PA program.  PA's
take a national board exam at the conclusion of the course and are
subject to state laws/regulations.

The PA profession began in 1964 at Duke University mainly as a response
to so many medics coming back from Vietnam with lots of experience and no
where to use it.  One of the expressed goals was to be used in places
where folks had limited access to healthcare.

What is really interesting is how the profession grew and became
"accepted" in the US.  I see lots of parallels between what happened
there and what is happening/could happen to LC's.  (Let me state
some loose history--don't hold me to exact dates!)  After about 20 years
of responding to the need of rural & underserved areas and gaining some
degree of name-recognition, there was a need for some uniformity as all
of those calling themselves PA did not have any particular standard of
training.  There was no legal reason that a medical receptionist could
not call and pass herself as a PA!  So PA's got themselves AMA
accreditiation and "uniformized" the existing PA programs and got LEGAL
clout too.  No one could call themselves Physician Assistant without
having completed an AMA approved PA program.  There was a time period for
"grandfathering" in the many PA's with less official training, but they
were required to take an exam (now the National certifying exam) in order
to earn their legal title.

NOWADAYS, one can call oneself PA when AMA approved PA prgoram is
completed.  When one passes the NCCPA exam, one earns the additional "C"
(as in PA-C) meaning "certified."

Do you see any similarities to how the LC profession developed or is
headed?

Sincerely,

Meg Wright, RPA-C
(I'll let everyone wonder what the R stands for!)