In the world of medicine a fairly new career option has been growing over the last decade, that of Physicians Assistant, or more simply, a PA.
Though not a “doctor” in the classical sense, particularly since their medical education is not as long or extensive as that of a doctor, a PA is nevertheless a healthcare professional who has been trained and is licensed to practice medicine – however they are limited according to the supervision of a licensed physician.
PAs are licensed to do many of the same professional duties generally performed by a physician, including, examinations, collecting medical histories, diagnose illnesses, prescribe medicine, order treatments, and refer patients to necessary specialists. There is a PA-Physician Practice Agreement which spells out exactly what the PA is allowed to legally do under the supervision of a physician. They are not allowed to go outside the scope of this document.
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PAs are allowed to practice in any medical field and often specialize in areas of surgery. They often moved from one medical or surgical field to another during their careers, learning many different types of medical practices.
They have their own specific medical licenses which are different from those issued to physicians. They work under the authority of this license and not as an appendage to the supervising physician’s license.
Depending upon the state in which the PA practices medicine, there are some limits according to that state’s laws regarding the PAs ability to prescribe medication. These limits are imposed by the state through the Drug enforcement Administration. For example, PAs in Hawaii, Florida and Alabama are not allowed to prescribe any controlled substances at all.
