What is National Physician Assistant (PA) Week, and why is it significant?
You may be well-acquainted with PAs, or perhaps you’re not sure what they do. In this blog, we illuminate the importance of National PA Week and suggest ways to celebrate and show appreciation for the nation’s 168,000 Board Certified PAs.
What is National PA Week?
National PA Week takes place every year from October 6 – October 12. This week is dedicated to recognizing the contributions PAs make in health care every day. PAs practice medicine on health care teams and perform a wide range of services and procedures. October 6 (which is National PA Day) is the date the first three PAs graduated from the Duke University PA Program back in 1967. October 6 also happens to be the birthday of the profession’s founder, Dr. Eugene A. Stead, Jr. Many reasons to celebrate!
Why is National PA Week Important?
PAs increase access to high quality health care to millions of patients every week.
Approximately 10.4 million patients each week are seen by PAs. That works out to over 540 million patient visits every year – over half a billion instances where PAs play a pivotal role in patient care. Their presence helps reduce wait times, ensuring patients receive prompt care when they need it.
PAs practice everywhere – in every specialty and in every setting.
PAs are indispensable members of health care teams, capable of filling various roles wherever needed. They can be found in all settings and specialties, making a difference in primary care, pediatrics, surgery, emergency departments, and more.
PAs perform a wide range of services and procedures.
They perform routine medical services and intricate procedures, including:
- Perform physical exams
- Obtain medical histories
- Order and interpret lab tests
- Diagnose and manage diseases, including chronic illnesses like heart disease
- Prescribe medications
- Perform procedures
- Assist in major surgeries
- Monitor and manage hospital inpatients
- Educate patients on treatment and health maintenance
PAs make a significant contribution in all medical settings by providing high-quality health care to patients, including underserved communities. They also help reduce costs and improve patient outcomes.
How Can You Celebrate National PA Week?
If you’d like to show your appreciation for PAs there are several things you can do:
- If you see your PA between October 6-12 be sure to tell them Happy PA Week, and thank them for all they do!
- If you have a PA you’re proud of and want to share a story of how they made a difference in your health care, email us and we may just share your story on this site!
- Go to your social network of choice, and share the image and shout-out below:
“Did you know October 6-12 is National PA Week? PAs practice medicine on health care teams and make a difference in patients’ lives every day. See what they do every day for you and me at PAsDoThat.net.”
