|
Physician assistants have been around longer than you might realize – and PAs will likely transform healthcare in the near future. Many clinics and healthcare organizations are gearing up their physician assistant schedule.
A Short History of Physician Assistants
On October 6, 1967, the first class of physician assistants graduated from the Duke University PA program. Widely regarded as the “Father of PA profession,” Dr. Eugene Stead Jr. established the program to help address the growing shortage of primary care providers.
At one time, the U.S. government employed Dr. Stead to fast-track the education of physicians for military service. In 1965, he enrolled four Navy Hospital Corpsmen into the first 24-month PA program. These students had already undergone considerable training during their military service.
Recognition of this new profession came quickly. The American Association of Physician Assistants was incorporated in 1968 (just a year after the first class graduated!), and the American Medical Association (AMA) recognized the PA profession in 1971. Six states passed legislation to authorize PA practice almost immediately.
The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) administered the first PA certifying exam in 1973. Just four years later, Medicare began providing reimbursements to PAs certified in rural health care, where physician shortages were already affecting the availability of healthcare in sparsely populated areas.
PAs Ease Physician Shortages
While there are more physicians today than there were in 1977, there is still a significant shortage of physicians – today, more than 75 million Americans live in a Healthcare Provider Shortage Area (HPSA). The physician shortage will likely worsen in the years to come, especially in areas of the country that are already underserved. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projects a shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034.
As the number of doctors declines, the number of PAs increases. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates the employment of physician assistants to skyrocket 27% between 2023 and 2032, which is much faster than the average for all other occupations.
The role of PAs continues to grow. In addition to primary care, PAs can work in virtually any specialty, such as dermatology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and various surgical fields, including orthopedics and cardiology.
Making the most of your staff with an effective physician assistant schedule
A great physician assistant schedule can help keep PAs stay happy and engaged at work. As with physician scheduling, the right shift scheduling software offers streamlined shift scheduling, reduced administrative headaches, enhanced efficiency, and even improved patient experience.
ByteBloc offers versatile, fast, and reliable physician assistant schedule software that PAs love. Using ByteBloc, physician assistants can tag shifts as Prefer, Desire, Dislike, or Conflicts, print easy-to-read personalized schedules, and set up reminders, automatic notifications, and more. These features help PAs provide care to patients in areas where physicians are in short supply.
For more information on the future of PAs and physician assistant schedule software, consult with ByteBloc. While we specialize in emergency medicine scheduling, we offer shift scheduling for a wide variety of other providers, including physician assistants.
|