The Greatest Obstacle Physician Assistants Face in Medicine

Please answer the following question:

Discuss what you consider to be the greatest obstacle Physician Assistants face in medicine and why. 

While Physician Assistants play a critical role in healthcare, many people don't understand and recognize their full capabilities.

Especially with the name "Physician Assistant", patients can mistake PAs with other medical personnel that are not trained to

provide primary medical care. This lack of understanding can inhibit PAs from gaining the trust of their patients, and lead to difficulties

in communication and collaboration with other healthcare providers. This can also explain why the whole topic of changing the title of physician assistant to physician associate has been gaining momentum as of late. In addition, PAs may be overlooked for leadership roles and other opportunities based on these misconceptions. From my personal experience of working at an urgent care and based on my conversations with the PA I shadowed, patients constantly question if the PA can make fully independent medical decisions. An increase in awareness and public conscience of how PAs contribute to the healthcare system will create a

stronger respect and recognition of a PAs unique skills and contributions to the healthcare team. This increased awareness is even more important since the PA profession has been on the rise and is projected to increase exponentially over the next few years.