PAs Breaking Barriers to Achieve Better Patient Outcomes Through Team-Based Care Recognized as America's Number One Profession

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- PAs are changing the way we view and receive healthcare today. In addition to increasing access to care, there is a growing body of clinical evidence that, as medical practitioners, PAs deliver high-quality and comprehensive care across a wide range of clinical settings and specialties. As a result, demand for PAs has risen by more than 300 percent since 2012, and Forbes, USA Today, Glassdoor, and the Young Invincibles have all ranked the PA profession as the #1 Job in America. And, with a projected growth of 38 percent between 2012 and 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, PAs are poised to have an even greater impact on the nation's health.

"PAs are healthcare catalysts. We are thrilled the profession is being recognized for the tremendous value PAs bring to the nation's healthcare system," said Jeffrey A. Katz, PA-C, DFAAPA, President and Chair of the Board of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). "When PAs are allowed to practice to the full extent of their education and experience, they improve American's access to high-quality care while reducing costs."

As medical providers, PAs are trained at the graduate level in programs modeled after medical school curriculums, which include more than 2,000 hours of clinical rotations. They are nationally certified and state-licensed providers who practice medicine—they diagnose, write prescriptions, order and interpret tests, treat patients and assist in surgery.

As a profession, PAs are uniquely equipped to play a leading role in the new healthcare paradigm focusing on the quality of outcomes, not simply on the number of medical services provided. PAs practice team-based care, make prevention as important as treatment and help keep healthcare costs down.

AAPA is working on behalf of all PAs with state legislators, government agencies and employers to ensure that our legal and regulatory systems keep up with the healthcare needs of the American people and that they understand the positive impact PAs can deliver.

During National PA Week, Oct 6-12, AAPA would like to invite everyone to help celebrate the country's approximately 104,000 PAs. For more information on PA Week and how PAs practice medicine, please visit www.AAPA.org/paweek.

About the American Academy of Physician Assistants
AAPA is the national organization that advocates for all PAs and provides tools to improve PA practice and patient care. Founded in 1968, AAPA represents a profession of approximately 104,000 certified PAs across all medical and surgical specialties in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories and the uniformed services. Visit www.aapa.org to learn more. 

SOURCE American Academy of Physician Assistants

Related Links

http://www.aapa.org