Advanced Practice Role: Physician Assistant (PA)
The Impact of Surgical Physician Assistants on the Delivery of Modern Healthcare
This article will examine the impact of the use of physician extenders, specifically physician assistants and surgical physician assistants, on various pertinent healthcare issues. These issues include cost containment strategies, physician productivity, reimbursement, liability, manpower issues, and continuity and quality of patient care.
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Utilization of Nurse Practitioners to Increase Patient Access to Primary Healthcare in Canada–Thinking Outside the Box
In the past decade, all Canadian provinces and territories have launched various team-based primary healthcare initiatives designed to improve access and continuity of care. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are increasingly becoming integral members of primary healthcare teams across the country. This paper draws on the results of a scoping review of the literature and qualitative key […]
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New Directions for Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants in the Era of Physician Shortages
During the past 35 years, the roles for nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) have evolved in parallel with the roles that physicians have come to play. Shifting needs in primary care and expanding opportunities in specialty medicine have been the dominant trends. Future directions will be influenced additionally by the deepening physician shortage. […]
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Physician Assistant Program Medical Directors’ Opinions of an Entry-Level Physician Assistant clinical doctorate degree
The purpose of this study was to assess physician assistant (PA) program medical directors’ opinions related to an entry-level clinical doctorate degree for PAs. Methods: After a review of relevant literature, a 16-question survey regarding the PA clinical doctorate degree was developed and distributed to all PA program medical directors. Twelve questions contained statements to […]
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Pediatric Intensivist Extenders in the Pediatric ICU
This article explores the use of physician extenders in the pediatric ICU setting. The Libby Zion case is highlighted because of its impact on the use of manpower in the hospital setting. The history of physician extenders, including the hospitalist, physician assistant (PA), and nurse practitioner (NP), is discussed. Findings indicate a positive impact within […]
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PAs/NPs: Forging Effective Partnerships in Managed Care Systems
Three issues have dominated national health policy discussions over the past three decades–how to control health expenditures, how to improve access to care, and how to ensure delivery of high-quality health services. Cost remains the principal societal concern today. An important new dimension in this debate, however, is a critical examination of the impact of […]
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The Profession in 2002 and Beyond
Although a period of extraordinary growth in the number and utilization of physician assistants (PAs) appears to be stabilizing, the forces that shaped the profession during its years of integration and acceptance are yielding to a new set of demographic, educational, and practice realities. This article reviews the factors that have brought PAs to their […]
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You and Midlevel Providers–A Good Fit?
Some primary-care doctors swear by midlevel providers; others swear at them. As a Medical Economics’ survey makes clear, the younger the doctor and the fewer years he has been in practice, the more likely he/she is to use a nurse practitioner or physician assistant. Benefits of midlevel providers are presented. Before calling a headhunter or […]
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A Delphi Study to Validate an Advanced Practice Nursing Tool
Aim: This paper is a report of a study conducted to validate an instrument for measuring advanced practice nursing role delineation in an international contemporary health service context using the Delphi technique. Background: Although most countries now have clear definitions and competency standards for nurse practitioners, no such clarity exists for many advanced practice nurse roles, leaving […]
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Prescribing Trends by Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants in the United States
As an important step in analyzing the role of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), we examined their prescribing behavior. The intent is to study the characteristics of providers and patients, and the type of prescriptions written by NPs and PAs in primary care and to compare these activities to physicians. Data sources: The […]
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