Physician Assistant

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A physician assistant (also referred to as a “PA”) is a licensed healthcare professional who works under the supervision of a physician.

The education of a PA includes an undergraduate degree, followed by intensive medical programs that prepare him or her to work alongside a physician. PAs are taught in a similar manner to medical students to both diagnose and treat medical problems in order to prepare them to offer an extension of a physician’s care.

PAs are certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. The credentials that follow their names (“PA-C”) indicate their certification credentials.

PAs are able to:

Conduct physical exams
Diagnose and treat illnesses
Order and interpret tests
Write prescriptions
Counsel on preventive healthcare
Exercise autonomy in decision making
Provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services
Assist in surgery
Be involved in education, research and administrative services

How Do PAs Benefit You?

At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), our PAs help us to promptly address your immediate needs and concerns. For example, they can answer questions you may have about treatment side effects. They are also able to address additional medical conditions you may have, such as diabetes or respiratory, heart and digestive disorders. Furthermore, they are able to quickly get in touch with your physician to let him or her know if you are having any complications concerning your disease. This allows our physicians to focus on your primary need—treating cancer.

PAs at CTCA help you to receive better quality care because they:

Extend your physician’s ability to care for your needs
Enable you to more quickly see a medical professional
Ensure that your physician receives your most up-to-date reports