Governor Proclaims Oct. 6-12, 2006 Physician Assistant Week
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 4, 2006) − In medical offices all over the
state of Kentucky and the nation, it is becoming increasingly common for patients to be
evaluated and treated by a physician assistant.
Physician assistants (PAs) are certified health care professionals who provide a wide variety of medical and surgical services under the direct supervision of a physician. In Kentucky, PAs can diagnose and treat diseases and write prescriptions for medications, except for narcotics. Experts say PAs can be responsible for anywhere from 75 to 90 percent of primary care functions.
In a proclamation signed by Governor Ernie Fletcher, Oct. 6 through 12 is Physician Assistant Week. In recognition of Physician Assistant Week, four students from the PA program at UK's College of Health Sciences commemorated the week by participating in the 4th annual Buddy Walk held at Keeneland on Sept. 30 by providing first-aid care and health screenings to the participants. The walk was sponsored by the Downs Syndrome Association of Central Kentucky.
They also presented a poster explaining the roles of the physician assistant as health care providers of the 21st century. Gil Boissonneault, professor of clinical nutrition and physician assistant studies at UK, has participated in the Buddy Walk with his students the past four years.
"Physician assistants first entered onto the scene about 1966," Boissonneault said. "The program started at Duke University and blossomed across the United States."
UK's PA program on the main campus and at the extension site in Morehead is unique in that it is the only PA program in the state. Students in the program are required to have 19 months of class work in basic and medical sciences, in addition to 12 months of clinical experience working directly with supervising physicians in a variety of fields, such as family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, women's health, surgery, emergency medicine, pediatrics and geriatrics. Upon completion of the program, students receive a master's degree in physician assistant studies.
The PA program at UK is one of nine disciplines of study offered in the College of Health Sciences. The program has graduated 700 students since its inception in 1973. Interim Program Director Julie Gurwell says there are currently over 600 certified PAs in Kentucky.
Chad Foster, a physician assistant student and class president, says the stronghold of the PA program at UK is the dedicated faculty. "They teach us to be compassionate and competent physician assistants," he said.
The American Academy of Physician Assistant's (AAPA) 2005 census report states that the majority of PAs in Kentucky are in family and general medicine, followed by surgical sub-specialties and internal medicine sub-specialties. The mean salary of a full-time PA is in the range of $65,000 to $76,000 depending on experience.
Physician assistantship is a growing trend in this country and the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the number of PA jobs will increase by 50 percent between 2004 and 2014. The BLS predicts the total number of jobs in the country will grow by 13 percent over this 10-year period. The physician assistant profession was ranked the fourth fastest growing profession in the country. CNN and Money magazine in May 2006 ranked the profession as one of the top five jobs in the country.
Physician assistants (PAs) are certified health care professionals who provide a wide variety of medical and surgical services under the direct supervision of a physician. In Kentucky, PAs can diagnose and treat diseases and write prescriptions for medications, except for narcotics. Experts say PAs can be responsible for anywhere from 75 to 90 percent of primary care functions.
In a proclamation signed by Governor Ernie Fletcher, Oct. 6 through 12 is Physician Assistant Week. In recognition of Physician Assistant Week, four students from the PA program at UK's College of Health Sciences commemorated the week by participating in the 4th annual Buddy Walk held at Keeneland on Sept. 30 by providing first-aid care and health screenings to the participants. The walk was sponsored by the Downs Syndrome Association of Central Kentucky.
They also presented a poster explaining the roles of the physician assistant as health care providers of the 21st century. Gil Boissonneault, professor of clinical nutrition and physician assistant studies at UK, has participated in the Buddy Walk with his students the past four years.
"Physician assistants first entered onto the scene about 1966," Boissonneault said. "The program started at Duke University and blossomed across the United States."
UK's PA program on the main campus and at the extension site in Morehead is unique in that it is the only PA program in the state. Students in the program are required to have 19 months of class work in basic and medical sciences, in addition to 12 months of clinical experience working directly with supervising physicians in a variety of fields, such as family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, women's health, surgery, emergency medicine, pediatrics and geriatrics. Upon completion of the program, students receive a master's degree in physician assistant studies.
The PA program at UK is one of nine disciplines of study offered in the College of Health Sciences. The program has graduated 700 students since its inception in 1973. Interim Program Director Julie Gurwell says there are currently over 600 certified PAs in Kentucky.
Chad Foster, a physician assistant student and class president, says the stronghold of the PA program at UK is the dedicated faculty. "They teach us to be compassionate and competent physician assistants," he said.
The American Academy of Physician Assistant's (AAPA) 2005 census report states that the majority of PAs in Kentucky are in family and general medicine, followed by surgical sub-specialties and internal medicine sub-specialties. The mean salary of a full-time PA is in the range of $65,000 to $76,000 depending on experience.
Physician assistantship is a growing trend in this country and the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the number of PA jobs will increase by 50 percent between 2004 and 2014. The BLS predicts the total number of jobs in the country will grow by 13 percent over this 10-year period. The physician assistant profession was ranked the fourth fastest growing profession in the country. CNN and Money magazine in May 2006 ranked the profession as one of the top five jobs in the country.