The Vital Role of the Physician Assistant

A team approach is necessary to provide comprehensive care in today’s complex healthcare settings. And nowhere is the need for a cadre of medical professionals more evident than within the practice of rheumatology, where complicated diagnoses and tailored treatments are the rule rather than the exception. Among the highly trained members of these healthcare teams are physician associates/physician assistants (PAs), who not only supplement busy practices, but also heighten the level of care patients receive.

Background

Originally created in 1965 to address an overall shortage of physicians, the PA profession continues to grow. In the past decade, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) has reported a steady rise in the number of practicing PAs in the U.S., increasing from 95,583 certified PAs in 2013 to 168,318 in 2022. Of that 2022 total, about 400 specialize in rheumatology.¹

Educational requirements have evolved over the years. Currently, those pursuing a PA already hold a bachelor’s degree and have about three years of healthcare experience, according to the American Academy of Physician Associates.² In addition to graduating from a PA program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), students must obtain a passing score on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE), as well as a license from the state in which they practice.

Ms. Hughell

Many universities have now begun offering PA graduate degrees. “Twenty years ago, I was in the first master’s level class for PAs at our university, and now there are some PA programs that offer a Doctor of Science (DSC),” says Laurie Hughell, PA-C, MPH. Her path to becoming a PA included earning an undergraduate degree in psychology and chemistry, working during college as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) for three years and spending two summers interning at an inpatient psychiatric hospital—all before she was admitted to the graduate PA program at Des Moines University, Iowa.

“Many hours of healthcare experience are required to apply to PA school, and admission has always been highly competitive,” Ms. Hughell says. Her alma mater, for example, reported that students admitted to its 2025 PA class had an average cumulative GPA of 3.66 and an average science GPA of 3.62; most of the entering students had already accrued more than 750 hours of hands-on, direct-patient experience prior to applying to the program.³ Overall, the PA Education Association reports that about 20% of applicants are typically accepted into PA programs each year.⁴