National Physician Assistant Week

National Physician Assistant (PA) Week is celebrated every year from October 6-12. This year's theme is "PAs Go Beyond."

PAs are often the first point of contact for many patients and play a vital role in helping them understand their medical needs and empower them to become effective advocates for their own health.

• PAs are licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. Trusted, rigorously educated and trained healthcare professionals, PAs are dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness through patient-centered, team-based medical practice
• To obtain a license, a PA must graduate from one of the 300 PA programs in the United States
• To maintain certification, PAs must complete 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years
• PAs practice in every work setting, from hospitals and urgent care centers to outpatient offices and clinics, often serving as a patient's primary care provider. They practice medicine in all medical and surgical specialties, including family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, gerontology, and more
• PAs are one of the fastest-growing healthcare provider professions, with 168,300+ PAs working in communities nationwide
• In 2023, U.S. News & World Report named PA as one of the top two healthcare professions in the country for the sixth year in a row

• Leading with experience and expertise
  • PAs are experts who complete rigorous medical education and

    training. Every PA student completes 2,000 hours of clinical rotations over the course of their three academic-year master's degree program

• Listening with compassion
  • PAs know the importance of making sure patients feel heard and respected. That's why PAs advocate for patients
• Empowering patients with personalized, quality care
  • PAs are leaders in public health, providing essential preventive care that leads to improved health outcomes and stronger communities
• Strengthening the core of the healthcare system
  • The healthcare system is strained beyond capacity, a problem that will only get worse as the U.S. population grows and ages. As a rapidly growing workforce of rigorously trained clinicians who are valued members of patient-centered, team-based care, PAs increase access to quality medical care for patients across the country