What is a Physician Assistant?
A Physician Assistant (PA) is a nationally certified medical professional that practices medicine on a healthcare team with physicians and other providers. They practice and prescribe medications, assist in surgery, and counsel patients.
Physician Assistants are credentialed providers and services are covered by all private payers, Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare.
PAs are trained under the medical model and requires a Bachelor’s degree with a basic science background. The program consists of over 27 months with 12 months of didactic training in sciences, followed by over 2,000 hours of clinical rotations.
Formal surgical skills are covered in first year training and rotations allow for further skill development. Schools include a surgical course and have formal training of scrubbing, assisting, and surgical procedures.
The Physician Assistant in Surgery
“An Extension of the Surgeon”
PA Training provides extensive training in surgery and allows the PA to provide the following services:
*First assist in Surgery
*Physical exam
*Pre-op and Post-op care
*Excision closure
*Interpret diagnostic tests ( labs, xrays, MRI, CT)
*Counseling patients
*Write prescriptions
*Patient rounding
How many PAs are in clinical practice?
There are over 100,000 PAs in clinical practice. There are over 35,000 PAs working in the surgical environment.
Physician Assistant is the Best Job in America | Glassdoor
The Ten Most Promising Jobs in 2015- # 1 Physician Assistant | Forbes.com
The 100 Best Jobs in America – # 5 Physician Assistant | US News and World Report
What it is Like to Have the Best Job in America Right Now | BusinessInsider.com
# 21 – Best Jobs in America | CNNMoney
Surgical Assisting Experience includes, but not limited to:
Spine/Neuro:
Minimally invasive procedures
Anterior Cervical diskectomy
Cervical and lumbar laminectomy
Diskectomy
Fusion
Kyphoplasty
Spinal cord stimulator implant,
Microscopic assisted cases,
Craniotomy,
Tumor excision
General Orthopaedics:
Total joint arthroplasty (Knee, Hip Shoulder,Elbow) Partial joint arthroplasty
MakoplastyComputer Assisted Joint Arthroplasty
Revision Arthroplasty
Periprosthetic fracture management
Hip Fractures
Wound vac application
Fracture management
Sports Medicine/Orthopaedics:
Arthroscopic assisted ACL Reconstruction
Knee Arthroscopy
MPFL Reconstruction
Cartilage Restoration Procedures
Arthroscopic Shoulder Rotator Cuff Repair Capsulohaphy Biceps Tenodesis
Tommy John Reconstruction
Elbow Arthroscopy
Distal Biceps tendon repair
Fracture Management
AC Joint Reconstruction
General surgery:
Laparoscopic procedures (hernia repair, nissen fundoplication)
Lap chole
Lap appy
Colon resection,(Open and laparoscopic hand assisted)
Open cases,
Thyroidectomy
Neck dissections
Mastectomy,
Breast biopsy
Vascular surgery:
Vascular grafts
Fistulas
Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
Gynecological / OB surgery:
Laparoscopic oophorectomy and salpingectomy
C-sections
Hysterectomy
Plastic surgery:
Abdominoplasty,
Mammoplasty,
Blepharoplasty,
Wound closure with flap advancement
Excision of malignant skin lesions
Pannolectomy