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A physician assistant, or P.A., is a licensed healthcare practitioner who works under the supervision of a licensed physician. Physician assistants are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of illness. The P.A. has been a welcome addition to the healthcare community, providing a wide range of services that had previously been performed by a doctor. The physician who is supervising the P.A. will determine the services that the P.A. provides. This often depends on the scope of that physician's own practice.
Although the core of what a physician assistant is trained to do may not differ greatly from the doctor's knowledge, P.A.s are not required to spend the same amount of time in their education and training. While they are not required to go through an internship or residency, they are required to complete a minimum of one year of clinical rotations.
The physician assistant can be found in every area of medical practice. It is estimated that as many as 50% of physician assistants are practicing what is called primary care medicine. Although the P.A. will generally see a large portion of the same kinds of patients that the physician treats directly, there are certainly more complicated cases that cannot be handled by the P.A. Physician assistants are trained to recognize and respect their limitations and know when it is appropriate to either consult with the physician or refer the patient directly to the physician.
The services of the physician assistant are generally covered by health insurance as being part of the physician's practice. They cannot directly receive third-party payments from insurance companies.
For more information, visit the the American Academy of Physician Assistants at www.aapa.org.
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