What Is A Physician Assistant's Job Scope?

By Author: J.J. Yong
Total Articles: 962
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Although a Physician Assistant is a profession that is gaining increased popularity, many still do not know the exact job scope for members of this profession. One common mistake made by many is to liken what a medical assistant does to that of a PA's job scope. Below are some of the tasks generally carried out by them.

Members of this profession work under the supervision of a physician. As implied by the job title, they assist the physician by performing some tasks which are traditionally carried out by a physician. These tasks include most of what a physician does except those that are more complicated. In general, they provide 80 percent of the services typically rendered by a physician. Some of their duties include providing injections, counseling patients, taking patients' medical history, performing therapies and interpreting laboratory tests.

While these are the general duties of physician assistants, the exact job scope varies with training, experience and state laws. Moreover, this job scope also varies depending upon the supervising physician's practice. For example, if a PA's supervising physician is ...
... a surgeon, then he or she is expected to carry out some of the tasks that this surgeon usually performs. In other words, he or she must be skillful in surgical techniques.

In regard to writing prescription, they are allowed to prescribe medications to patients so long that the state law allows for such practice. There are now thirty-nine states in the nation that allow them to write and sign prescriptions without the supervising physician's cosignatory. Through the applications of telemedicine, physician assistants can work in rural areas without direct supervision from physicians. Nevertheless, they are expected to regularly consult their monitoring physicians, particularly on matters that are more complicated while treating patients.
For more information about physician assistant career and physician assistant schools, visit PhysicianAssistantCareer.com.