“PA” in a medical context most commonly refers to a physician assistant (increasingly called physician associate), a licensed healthcare professional who diagnoses illnesses, prescribes medications, and manages treatment plans. The term can also refer to Pennsylvania Medical Assistance, the state’s Medicaid program. This article covers both meanings so you find the answer you’re looking for.
Physician Assistant: What PAs Do
A physician assistant is a medical professional with an advanced degree who provides direct patient care. PAs work with patients of all ages across nearly every specialty, from family medicine to surgery to emergency care. Their day-to-day responsibilities look similar to what many people associate with a doctor’s visit:
- Performing physical exams and making rounds
- Diagnosing illnesses
- Ordering and interpreting lab tests and imaging like X-rays
- Prescribing medications
- Developing and managing treatment plans
- Assisting in surgery
- Counseling patients on preventive care
If you’ve visited an urgent care clinic, an emergency room, or even a specialist’s office, there’s a good chance you were seen by a PA. They are one of the fastest-growing professions in healthcare, with employment projected to grow 20 percent from 2024 to 2034, far outpacing the average for all occupations. The median annual salary was $133,260 as of May 2024.
How PAs Are Trained
PA programs typically last about two to three years and award a master’s degree. The curriculum is modeled on medical school: students study anatomy, pharmacology, clinical medicine, and pathology in their first year, then move into hands-on clinical rotations. At Duke University’s program, for example, students complete 10 clinical rotations in their second year covering internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, behavioral medicine, and primary care, plus two elective rotations of their choosing.
Most applicants enter PA school with a bachelor’s degree and several thousand hours of prior healthcare experience, often as EMTs, medical assistants, or nurses. This combination of classroom rigor and real-world clinical training is what separates PAs from many other mid-level providers.
Certification and the PA-C Credential
After graduating, PAs must pass a national certification exam called the PANCE to earn the PA-C designation (physician assistant, certified). Maintaining that credential requires logging 100 continuing medical education credits every two years and completing a recertification process on a 10-year cycle. At least 50 of those credits must come from formal educational activities. This ongoing requirement ensures PAs stay current with evolving medical standards throughout their careers.
Prescribing and Practice Authority
PAs can prescribe medications in all 50 states, but the specific rules vary. Some states require PAs to work under direct physician supervision. Others allow a collaborative arrangement, where the PA and a physician maintain a professional relationship but the PA practices with more independence. A growing number of states now permit PAs to practice and prescribe without formal supervision once certain requirements are met.
Controlled substance prescribing also differs by state. In Arkansas, for instance, PAs can prescribe Schedule II through V controlled substances, though opioid prescriptions are limited to five days or fewer. In Alabama, PAs can prescribe Schedule III through V medications but not Schedule II drugs. Your state medical board’s website will have the specific rules that apply where you live.
PA vs. Nurse Practitioner
PAs and nurse practitioners (NPs) often fill similar roles in a clinic, which creates understandable confusion. The core difference is in training philosophy. PAs are trained using a medical model, the same framework physicians use, with a generalist foundation that allows them to shift between specialties. NPs are trained in advanced nursing practice, building on a nursing degree and typically specializing in a population focus like family care, pediatrics, or acute care.
In practical terms, both can diagnose, treat, and prescribe. The choice between seeing a PA or NP rarely affects the quality of your visit for routine and common medical issues. The distinction matters more on the career side, where the training path and educational prerequisites look quite different.
The Name Change to Physician Associate
In 2021, the American Academy of Physician Associates voted to change the profession’s official title from “physician assistant” to “physician associate.” The reasoning: “assistant” implies PAs work under someone’s direct control, which doesn’t reflect the independent clinical judgment the role requires. So far, four states have passed legislation officially adopting the new title: Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Iowa. Oregon’s law, signed in 2024, is the most recent.
The change is still rolling out. About 39 of 125 professional organizations within the field have updated their names, and PAs in other states may use “physician associate” at their discretion depending on employer policies and state regulations. The title change doesn’t alter what PAs do or their scope of practice.
Pennsylvania Medical Assistance
If you searched “PA medical” looking for Pennsylvania’s healthcare coverage program, you’re looking for Medical Assistance, which is the state’s version of Medicaid. It provides health insurance to Pennsylvania residents who meet income requirements.
Eligibility depends on your household size and income. Adults between 19 and 64 qualify if their household income falls at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. For a single adult in 2024, that’s roughly $19,000 to $20,000 per year, though the exact threshold updates annually. Children, pregnant individuals, and people over 65 or with disabilities have their own eligibility categories, often with higher income limits.
The state determines eligibility using Modified Adjusted Gross Income for most applicants. You can apply through Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services website or through the federal marketplace at healthcare.gov. Processing typically takes up to 30 days, and coverage can sometimes be backdated to the month you applied.