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physician assistant

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

physician assistant (PA), health-care professional who provides patient services ranging from taking medical histories and doing physical examinations to performing minor surgical procedures; often called physician's assistant. Physician assistants work under the supervision of a physician, who can be on or off site. PAs receive two years of postgraduate training and pass a national certifying exam. They are licensed by the states. PAs, who typically deliver quality routine health care less expensively than doctors, are an increasingly important part of the American health-care system, as they are in Canada and some European countries.


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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press

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Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

Physician Assistant
Physician Assistant A physician assistant (PA) career has been rated by U.S. News and World Report...the PA job duties are very much like the job of a doctor. Physician assistants see patients, take a history, do a physical exam, make a... Read more
physician assistant
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT [physician assistant] see physician's assistant . Author not available, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT. , The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2006 Read more
physician's assistant
see physician assistant . Read more
Medical Assistant
Medical Assistant A medical assistant is a health care professional who provides administrative...to a doctor. Duties of the administrative medical assistant include general office responsibilities, such as...processing insurance reimbursements. The clinical medical assistant may be responsible for ... Read more
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Richard Bright The English physician Richard Bright (1789-1858...of the Royal College of Physicians and assistant physician at the London Fever Hospital...years later he was appointed assistant physician at Guy's Hospital and opened... Read more

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