BACKGROUND Prompt recognition and treatment of a tension pneumothorax is critical to reducing mortality in both military and civilian settings. Physician assistants, Special Operations Forces (SOF) and conventional force Medics are often the first medical providers to care for combat trauma patients with penetrating chest trauma and frequently have limited diagnostic capabilities available to t...

Physician assistants (PAs) have medical training and work supervised by a doctor. In 2006-2008 the Scottish Government piloted use of USA-trained PAs. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the impact and contribution made by PAs to delivering effective health care in National Health Service (NHS) Scotland. Mixed methods, longitudinally, including interviews, feedback forms and activity data colle...

Health workforce shortages are a global phenomenon and Australia is no exception. Deficiencies are particularly pronounced in general practice, dentistry, nursing and key allied health fields. Even with the Australian health workforce growing at close to double the rate of the population and despite an increase in medical schools and student numbers, the shortage continues to worsen due to fact...

The Journal of Physician Assistant Education | 2007 Vol 18 No 2 INTRODUCTION The stethoscope is a popular instrument used by health care providers to evaluate the lung, heart, and abdominal sounds of their patients. Although clinicians are instructed about microbiology and the importance of maintaining clean medical instruments, the stethoscope may not be thought of as a potential source of nos...