What is a PA?

A PA is a licensed medical professional who can examine, test, treat and prescribe medication for patients. PAs can:

• Obtain patient medical histories
• Conduct physical exams
• Diagnose and treat illnesses
• Order and interpret tests
• Develop treatment plans
• Counsel on preventive healthcare
• Assist in surgery
• Prescribe controlled substances in schedules II (limited to hydrocodone) III, IV and V

PA students participate in more than 2,000 hours of clinical rotations. Students receive extensive training before they enter an intense, graduate-level program that requires the same prerequisite courses as medical school. Upon completion of PA training, PAs take a national certification exam. To maintain current certification status, PAs must complete 100 hours of continuing medical education every 2 years and must take a re-certifying exam every 10 years.

PAs are generalist trained, meaning that regardless of workplace specialty, they maintain a primary care foundation of knowledge in certification and testing. PAs working in some specialties are eligible for a certification of added qualification (CAQ) which is tested and certified in addition to the generalist PA standard certification process.