In the medical field, the term PA stands for Physician Assistant. “A physician assistant is a licensed medical professional that’s part of a medical care team”, says Washington Regional PA, Julia Fuster. “PAs work in all different areas of medicine. So you’ll find PAs in the outpatient setting where I work, like family medicine. They’ll also be an outpatient specialty, such as dermatology or psychiatry.”

PAs can also be found in various areas of the hospital, such as the E.R. and operating rooms. Fuster states that PAs are a crucial part of the healthcare team and providing care to the community. “PAs can treat and diagnose illnesses. We can manage prescription medications, so prescribing different medicines and we also can perform procedures and assist during surgeries.”

Fuster says most PAs have worked in medicine often as Medical Assistants, EMTs, or Paramedics prior to attending PA school. “Accredited PA programs are about 27 months or 2 to 3 years of classroom and more clinical experience work.”

Visit wregional.com to learn more about Physician Assistants.