History Of Physicians Assistant :: essays research papers fc

The year is 1959, and Mr. Scott has had a migraine headache for the past few weeks and so he drives to the local Potsdam Hospital. The poignant antiseptic smell fills his nostrils as he steps unto the polished hospital floor but what catches his eye is the large number of mountain waiting in the lounge. Mr. Scott patiently stands behind the long line of people to sign the needed forms to be seen by the physician. An hour and a half passes, and it is eventually his turn to see the receptionist. He looks at the woman behind the counter in the bright white uniform and asks, Is it always like this? The woman replies in a weary but irritated tone It was not this hectic until Dr. Johnson and Dr. Smith left to specialize in Syracuse. As Mr. Jones fills out the questionnaire about his insurance, he mutters to him self, Boy, they need to do something about this. They should hire more doctors or something." The medical community did do something to off set the projected decline of physic ians. About 30 years ago, a new health awe profession was integrated into the medical field to assist physicians to prescreen and handle the routine patient loads. At first, medico Assistants (PAs) met some opposition, but later they were accepted as a need and an asset to society. The following history of the physician assistant will show how a crisis caused the development of this profession, and the conditions which created the profession and how the struggles of the PA profession during the 1960s through the 1970s ended with the maturity phase of the 1980s and 1990s.      A crisis caused the development of the PA profession. This puzzle was the widely held belief that there was a shortage of medically trained personnel , which originated from the 1959 Report of the Surgeon Generals Consultant Group of medical exam Education. This report gave three main reasons why an expansion of health care was needed in the United States1. There was fear of rapid popul ation result projections with disproportionate increases of the young and elderly. These two populations statistically and historically utilize more health care than the average populace. 2. There was an increased per capita use of health care facilities. This was spurred by numerous factors. The first was improved living standards that brought higher life expectancy and lower infant mortality.