Out With the Old in With the New: From PA Supervision to PA Collaboration

Image Credit Jenni C

Earlier this week the AAPA House of Delegates approved new, "AAPA Guidelines for State Regulations". The part that was the most interesting to me is that any references made to term, "PA supervision" will now be substituted with "PA collaboration". What a welcomed change!

The reality has been that physicians are not overshadowing us. We are trained to think and function independently with the comfort of knowing we have a teammate to rely on when necessary. This change may not affect PAs currently in practice since we know the reality of the profession and the crucial role we play in patient care. However, this amendment is critical because it impacts how patients, prospective students, and anyone else typing in the words, "Physician Assistant" into a search engine perceive us. As the number of PAs RISE nationally and all over the world, the public must have an accurate understanding of our profession. How will they know to ask for the PA if they don't realize that a PA is trained and able to provide them outstanding care?