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iris354 says:

Thanks for the acknowledgement Tammy. I just heard it on Weds evening.

My husband is a PA, trained at George Washington University in Washington, DC. He is a member of a physician/PA emergency medicine group that staffs emergency rooms throughout our region. His training included a BS in biology, certificate as an EMT, and then 2-1/2 years at GWU where he earned a BS in Health Sciences. The PA program there is part of the School of Medicine.

I understand the confusion about the job title; it sounds like one of those paraprofessional careers offered by a trade school. The first Physician Assistant program was started at Duke University, designed as a civilian path for practice for former military corpsmen. PAs are licensed by Boards of Medicine, are required to complete continuing medical education credits, take a certification exam after completing their initial training, and recertify every five or six years. A PA and a nurse practitioner practice at roughly the same level (mid-level physician-extenders). While a PA must practice under the supervision of a doctor, a nurse practitioner may practice independently because of the different licensing structure (Board of Nursing v. Board of Medicine).

I have been a nurse for 30 years, working for the last ten in a cardiac cath lab. In health care we work as a team, the MD is at the pinnacle, the captain so to speak. However, there are many talented individuals that support the doc such as PAs, NPs, pharmacists, nurses, and techs. Our practice is collaborative, and no doctor can do it on his/her own.