Fort Kent ~ The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) has designated the week of October 6, through 12, as National Physician Assistant Week. According to the AAPA, the profession of Physician Assistants (PA’s) is one of the fastest growing professions and is ranked the most promising job by the 2015 Forbes.com. Northern Maine Medical Center (NMMC) joins the nation by recognizing the important contributions PA’s make to the organization and the health of the patients they serve as valued members of the patient care team. Peter Sirois, NMMC Chief Executive Officer said, “PA’s are a vital part of the high-quality care we provide by maximizing positive health outcomes and advancing our mission to provide the best care for our patients.” He also said that having PAs on patient care teams improves greater access to healthcare.
Physician Assistants, numbering more than 100,000 across the United States, have important roles in multiple areas of patient care delivery. PAs are educated through intense graduate-level programs that average twenty seven months and require the same prerequisite courses as medical schools. As part of their education, PAs complete at least two thousand hours of clinical rotations in every major specialty, from family medicine to general surgery to emergency medicine.
They conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, write prescriptions, perform medical procedures—like joint injections—first assist in surgery, counsel patients on preventive healthcare, coordinate patient care, make rounds in nursing homes and hospitals and conduct clinical research. PAs practice in every medical and surgical specialty from pediatric neurosurgery to oncology to primary care. At NMMC, PA’s have a significant presence in the Emergency Department, the surgical arena, family medicine, orthopedics and psychiatry.
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