Merit Health Recognizes Physicians During Physicians’ Assistants’ Week

10/10/2017

Merit Health will celebrate National Physicians’ Assistants’ (PA) Week October 6-12. This year, PA Week is especially exciting, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the profession – and 50 years of providing the best possible care to our patients.

PAs are nationally certified and state-licensed medical professionals who practice on healthcare teams with physicians and other providers. There are currently more than 115,000 PAs in the country.

PAs practice in every medical and surgical specialty. They also conduct physical exams, perform medical procedures, first assist in surgery, counsel patients on preventative healthcare, coordinate patient care, make rounds in nursing homes and hospitals, and conduct clinical research.

PAs are also educated through graduate-level programs that average 27 months and require the same prerequisite courses as medical schools. All PA students complete at least 2,000 hours of clinical rotations, which cover every major specialty, from family medicine to general surgery to emergency medicine.

To learn more about PA Week and the PA profession, visit PAweek.com.

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