What is a Physician Assistant?

The Physician Assistant (often referred to as a Physician Associate or PA) is a professional member of the health care team qualified by intense basic science and clinical training to function under the supervision of a physician.  The Physician Assistant is not a physician replacement, but works as an efficient way for physicians to extend health care services to you and your family.

How Are Physician Assistants Trained?

The first Physician Assistant training program started in 1965 at Duke University in North Carolina.  In 1970, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Physician Associate Program was created on the  campus in Oklahoma City.  It remains the only Physician Assistant Program in Oklahoma, and has developed into an integral part of the College of Medicine.  There are over 130 programs throughout the country operating in medical schools, universities and colleges.  Programs are accredited by the ARC-PA (Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc.).  The University of Oklahoma Physician Associate Program has full accreditation from this agency.

Physician Assistant training in Oklahoma requires a minimum of three years of undergraduate study and a two and one-half year program at the College of Medicine at the Health Sciences Center.  The curriculum consists of an intense course load of the sciences such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacotherapeutics and pathology.  Clinical medicine courses taught simultaneously focus on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the different body systems (i.e., pulmonary, cardiac, endocrine, renal, musculoskeletal, neural, etc.), EKG and radiological interpretation, nutrition, human behavior and laboratory medicine.  The classroom phase is followed by a year of clinical rotations which provide experience in family and internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, mental health, pediatrics and emergency medicine.  To practice in Oklahoma, graduates must pass a rigorous National Board exam and be certified by the State Board of Medical Licensure an Supervision.  To maintain certification, Physician Assistants participate in Continuing Medical Education annually.

What Can PA's Do? Tasks depend on the supervising physician's practice setting and specialty, the laws of Oklahoma and the individual situation.  Tasks may include:

*Obtaining a patient's accurate medical history

*Performing a thorough physical examination

*Performing routing diagnostic tests such as PAP smears and EKG's

*Diagnosing and treating common medical problems

*Writing medical orders in hospitals

*Ordering medications according to Oklahoma law

*Initiating emergency treatment

*Assisting in surgery

*Debriding, suturing and caring for superficial wounds

*Making hospital rounds

*Providing you and your family with education pertaining to the

disease process and treatment plan.

Where Does A PA Work?

Physician Assistants are trained to function in a variety
of settings such as:

Private offices	Clinics	Hospitals
Emergency Departments	Health Maintenance Organizations	Neighborhood health centers
Industry	Branches of the Armed Services	Federal and State facilities