10
doc • Winter 2016
Kentucky
The Physician Assistant:
What Should “PA” Stand For?
By Robert P. Granacher
Jr., M.D., M.B.A.
In its current model, a
Physician Assistant (PA) is
a licensed medical practitioner who is authorized to practice under the
supervision of a physician. All licensed PAs
must be graduates of an accredited institution and pass a national qualifying examination. PAs are trained in the medical model,
like physicians, and in some programs, they
may share classes with medical students
during their education. Practicing PAs must
complete 100 hours of continuing education every two years, plus pass a recertification examination every six years. At this
time, there is a move among the Physician
Assistant profession to change the name
from “Physician Assistant” to “Physician
Associate” (Belcher, NEJM Journal Watch
Neurology for November 10, 2015).
To learn more about this professional
group for LMS physicians, I spent time
with the Interim Director of UK’s Physician
Assistant Program, Emery Wilson, M.D
(formerly dean of the UK College of
Medicine). and Sam Powdrill, PA-C, an
Associate Professor within the Physician
Assistant Program. Dr. Wilson advised me
that there were about 100,000 Physician
Assistants nationally, which contrasts with
approximately 190,000 Nurse Practitioners,
as noted in the accompanying article
regarding the nursing profession. There
are approximately 200 Physician Assistant
training programs currently in the United
States.
In November 2015, Dr. Wilson submitted a Periodic Review of the Physician
Studie