The Physician Assistant Profession Overview What exactly is a Physician Assistant (PA) and what differentiates them from a medical assistant or nurse? Unlike a medical assistant, or nurse, a Physician Assistant (PA) is a …show more content…
Knowledge of medicine, dentistry, therapy and counselling are also skills that a PA must master. (National Center for O*NET Development, 2016). Physicians have many obligations in the medical field, and often rely on the PA to research and educate patients on health conditions to better utilize their time. To be able to make informed decisions and provide treatment, a PA also has to be able listen and investigate complaints. When a patient enters the office for a routine wellness checkup, but has new complaints of a worsened condition, it is the responsibility of the PA treating the patient to show concern and care by addressing the complaints to the best of their ability. By utilizing electronic health software, research databases, and interpreting electronic diagnostic tests, the patient complaints and treatment plan can be documented by the PA, with attention to detail, for the supervising physician to