The Physician Assistant (PA) Program at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, has been preparing PAs to meet the healthcare needs of their communities and beyond since 2009. Through dedicated faculty with extensive academic, clinical, and research expertise, combined with state-of-the-art technology, students receive a first-class, hands-on medical education. Students develop procedural skills such as intravenous catheter insertion, laceration repair, and orthopedic splinting through training with simulation devices and supervised practice with standardized patients. In addition, students have unique opportunities to participate in volunteer experiences that provide medical services to indigent, uninsured, and underserved populations.
Physician Assistants (PAs) are healthcare professionals licensed to practice medicine in collaboration with a physician, either a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). As part of the healthcare team, PAs provide diagnostic and therapeutic patient care, take patient histories, perform physical examinations, order and interpret diagnostic tests, and develop and implement treatment plans. In addition to clinical practice, PAs also work in research, administration, and academic roles. PAs practice in a wide range of settings, including private physician offices, clinics, hospitals, health maintenance organizations, community health centers, federal and state facilities, the Armed Services, industry, universities, medical schools, and many other healthcare environments.
What is a PA, and how are they trained?
