This paper draws from research commissioned by the Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD). It provides a case study in the introduction of a new health care worker role into an already well established and "mature" workforce configuration It assesses the role of US style physician assistants (PAs), as a precursor to planned "piloting" of the PA role within the National Health Service (NHS)...

PURPOSE This article provides a detailed analysis comparing the educational requirements for physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and radiologist assistants (RAs) working in radiology. The authors examine the curricular requirements as they pertain to radiology for each program and highlight the advantages and limitations of each within potential roles in radiology. METHODS A literature...

The National Health Sevice (NHS) faces a serious shortage of medical staff. One solution is to introduce US-style physician assistants (PAs) who train for around two years following previous clinical work or a first degree, and perform duties similar to junior doctors. This paper reviews the history and role of PAs, the quality of their work and their likely impact in the UK. A variety of sourc...

Although the physician assistant (PA) profession was created to bolster the primary care workforce, PAs have assumed increasing roles in subspecialties. This paper compares specialty prevalence between physicians and physician assistants, analyzes trends in PAs' specialty choices from 1997 to 2006, and suggests options for influencing these specialty choices in the future. The number of PAs is ...

PURPOSE To understand the deployment of physician assistants (PAs) in oncology. A recent analysis of the oncology workforce in the United States commissioned by ASCO predicted a significant shortage of providers by 2020. METHODS A descriptive study was undertaken using a Web-based questionnaire survey. Invited participants, including all PAs listed in the national PA database (n = 855) and al...