Madison Leigh Gerhard's profile

The Role of Physician Assistants in Primary Care

College student Madison Leigh Gerhard studies at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. She is completing her coursework in psychology. After her expected graduation in 2022, Madison Leigh Gerhard plans to pursue graduate studies to become a physician assistant.

A physician assistant is a health professional who practices medicine, particularly performing clinical tasks and patient management, under the supervision of a physician. Their tasks include conducting physical exams, diagnosing and treating illnesses, ordering and interpreting tests, assisting in surgeries, writing prescriptions, carrying out education and research, and doing administrative services.

The creation of the physician assistant profession was motivated by the growing need for patients to access general medical services. Since the mid-1960s, physician assistants have been effective in delivering primary healthcare in various settings. The role performed by an individual physician assistant is assigned concerning the training, experience, and preference of an entire team and is often negotiated with the supervising physician. The roles of physician assistants fall under two categories: substitute and complement.

A physician assistant performs substitution when they perform primary care functions that their supervising physician would. On the other hand, they perform a complementary role when taking on the supervising physician’s specific tasks, such as providing preventive or acute care to the population that their team serves.
The Role of Physician Assistants in Primary Care
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The Role of Physician Assistants in Primary Care

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