Do You Know What The Difference Is Between A Medical Doctor And A Physician Assistant?
Saturday, April 21st, 2012It is not unusual for people to say that they know what a physician does, but many have still not heard about the Physician Assistant Profession. Do you know the difference between the two. To clue you in, here is what a physician is as generally understood by the public.
A physician is a doctor or more technically put, they are the individuals who are invested in the medical profession, and who have spent many years making their way through medical school as they learn to diagnose patients and prescribe treatment for their illnesses.
A Physician Assistant on the other hand if a highly skilled and trained individual who is kind of like a glorified nurse. They are not required to spend as much time during their education and training, but are given the authority to work right alongside doctors and many times in their stead treating patients and writing out prescriptions. They are given the authority to diagnose diseases, prescribe patient treatment plans and can even write prescriptions.
The main difference between regular physicians and the Physician Assistant Profession is in the level of education each is required to get before they are given their license or certificate to practice. Doctors attend medical school for 8 to 10 years and after that they are required to complete a residency with a hospital where they get to practice the skills they have learned under close supervision. After that they are then able to decide whether they wish to set up their own practice, begin to teach or become part of a larger body of healers in a hospital setting or get involved with medical research.
Physician Assistants do not have to attend medical school for the same length of time and are often able to complete their training within a couple of years after getting their Bachelor’s degree in nursing. Other education may be required if they desire to enter a specialized field. Once they have received their certification they are able to work in much the same way as any licensed medical doctor but they must do so under a doctor’s supervision.
Even though the work performance closely mirrors that of a medical doctor, they still must be supervised and answer to the doctor for all of their actions. They are given the duties of diagnosing illnesses, developing and executing treatment plans, suturing wounds, assisting during surgical procedures, examining patients, and assisting patients in other areas as well. They are even given the legal right to write prescriptions, and all of this is under the auspices of the physician in charge. This is much like the glorified nurse that was spoken of previously but with many more freedoms.
Most Physician Assistants work in the area of primary care. That means that they can be seen in fields such as pediatrics, internal medicine, as well as family practice. With them taking up more of the responsibility for providing care to patients it leaves doctors free to work in more critical areas of health care and patients with more personalized care.