Physician assistants in the United States

doi:10.1136/bmj.325.7362.0/e

Physician assistants in the United States

Since the 1960s the United States has developed the profession of physician assistant, based on a concept dating back to the17th century, to work in primary care to relieve nationwide shortagesof doctors. More than 44 000 physician assistants now work inAmerica. They mainly work semi-autonomously in association withindividual doctors, but an increasing number work in hospitals.Mittman and colleagues (p 485) outline their training, and functions;they say that physician assistants could provide Britain witha viable alternative to physicians in areas where shortages ofdoctors exist.