The Profession A Physician Assistant, or PA, is a qualified medical professional who practices medicine with the supervision of a licensed physician.
PAs provide a wide variety of medical services traditionally performed by physicians.
The concept for the profession originated in the early to mid-1960s as a way to enhance the provision of medical care to people residing in medically underserved areas. The care of the underserved remains an ongoing goal of the profession. Physician Assistants work in all 50 states, Guam and the District of Columbia in a wide range of medical settings including physicians' offices, hospitals, clinics, homes, industrial health centers and correctional institutions. They always work in conjunction with a physician and can have a wide array of responsibilities including medical history taking, physical examination, ordering or performing lab and other diagnostic tests, synthesizing data to make a proper diagnosis, developing a treatment plan, performing health-related counseling, performing various procedures such as casting and suturing and assisting in surgery. PAs can prescribe medication in the majority of states.