Physician assistants (PAs) are important members of the health care team at the Froedtert & MCW health network. They are licensed health care professionals who provide medical services in collaboration with physicians and other advanced practice providers in an interdisciplinary team.

At the Froedtert & MCW health network, more than 370 PAs are credentialed to see patients across primary and specialty, ambulatory and acute care settings

As part of their comprehensive clinical responsibilities, PAs:

  • Conduct patient histories and physical exams
  • Diagnose and treat acute and chronic illnesses
  • Order, perform and interpret diagnostic tests
  • Initiate and manage therapies for acute or chronic health problems
  • Perform minor surgical procedures and assist in surgery
  • Counsel patients on preventive health care, educate patients and conduct health screenings
  • Coordinate patient referral and follow-up care
  • Coordinate hospital care and home care
  • Prescribe medications and medical treatments in accordance to state regulations

A PA’s practice may also include educational, research and administrative duties.

The PA profession was created in the 1960s to complement the work of physicians and to fill voids in health care delivery in underserved areas of the country. In Wisconsin, Marquette University, UW-La Crosse, Carroll University and UW-Madison offer accredited PA programs.

PAs are educated in medical master’s degree programs accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant. Education consists of classroom and laboratory instruction in basic medical and behavioral sciences (such as anatomy, clinical medicine, pharmacology, pathophysiology and physical diagnosis), followed by clinical rotations in internal medicine, emergency medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, surgery and geriatric medicine. The average PA curriculum runs about 26 months.

Upon graduation, PAs take a national certification examination Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) And in Wisconsin, PAs are licensed and regulated by the Physician Assistant Affiliated Credentialing Board and practice under the state scope-of-practice laws. To maintain their certification, a PA must receive 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and undergo recertification every 10 years. Today, many PAs also pursue post-graduate education programs.

The Froedtert & MCW health network participates in PA student preceptorships, clinical placement and post-graduation Advanced Practice Provider Fellowships to support continued education and health care pipeline.