What is a Physician Assistant (PA)?

PAs, also known as physician associates, are fantastic healthcare professionals who work closely with patients in hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities. They are responsible for diagnosing and treating illnesses, prescribing medication (under physician supervision), and providing preventative care. They have similar responsibilities to doctors and can work alongside them in various clinical settings.

What do PAs do?

These superheroes in scrubs are ready to extend a helping hand to those in need of medical care. PAs are an essential part of the medical field, and they have a lot of autonomy in their practice. Even though they usually work under the supervision of a physician, they are authorized to do many things on their own, like:

• Taking medical histories
• Performing physical exams
• Ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests
• Create treatment plans
• Provide guidance on preventive care 
• Carry out some medical procedures under supervision

In addition, they can conduct rounds in hospitals and nursing homes and participate in clinical research. While PAs can specialize in different areas, such as anesthesia, obstetrics and gynecology, radiology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and cardiology, most work in general medicine settings like family and internal medicine.

Questions and answers

Now that you already have an image of what a PA is like, let's jump into the story of Carlos da Silva. He's a PA with a heart of gold who always knew he wanted to help people; that's why he became a medical professional. His story is a testament to finding fulfillment in healthcare by finding immense joy in caring for patients and supporting other PAs. In this article, we'll serve you with insights that could help guide you toward success in the healthcare field. Let's dive in!

1. How did you get into the field?

“I’ve always gotten a lot of joy out of helping and caring for people, and I knew I wanted to be in the medical field from a very young age. When it came time to choose a specific career path, the versatility of the PA role appealed to me, and I haven’t looked back since!”

1. What do you like and dislike most about the job?

“The best part of the job is working with patients. It's very gratifying to have a direct positive influence on people's lives daily. My least favorite part of the job is the bureaucracy involved in providing healthcare, especially when that red tape interferes with us providing the best possible care for our patients. It's very frustrating when the medical team knows what treatment would be best for a patient but can't provide that because of restrictions from their insurance provider or other administrative snags.”

1. What were some challenges you encountered when entering the field?

“One challenge for me as a new PA was navigating the regulatory environment. The rules for where PAs can practice, under what conditions, and what we’re allowed to do independent of a physician vary from state to state and are in flux in many areas. It adds another level of things that you need to learn as a new PA and added to the challenge of getting started after I graduated.”