Resources

Below is a list of trusted research sites, many are by PAs. PA Programs are not listed here, as the best source for current information on individual programs and contacts is at the Association of PA Programs. Recruiting firms are also excluded, unless it is of special interest, government, or nonprofit. It would be very helpful to let us know if you have found other sites created by or designed for PAs.

  • American Association of Surgical Physicain Assistants Includes a listing of PostGraduate Surgical Residency Programs for PAs, information on their PA Student Scholarships, and a considerable amount of text, by surgical specialty, about What does a Surgical PA Do?

 

  • The American College of Clinicians Their Mission Statement: “The American College of Clinicians is an organization of nurse practitioners and physician assistants committed to working together to provide the highest level of care to our patients. We promote access to innovative, affordable continuing education, and the integration of PAs and NPs as full members of the health care team. We seek full recognition as health care providers with fair reimbursement for our services in all settings. By working together, we are committed to fostering a continuing positive dialogue among ourselves and other health care professionals who desire to join this dialogue.” Free CME, Conferences notices, PA/PA Groups. jk, 4/04

 

  • American Medical Association With in the sites’ Medical Educational Resources, Allied Health Section. Taken from their book: Health Professions Career and Education Directory. Provides a short, concise summary of the profession that can be easily emailed to others.

 

 

 

  • Association of Neurosurgical Physician Assistants They are recognized by the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), as an official subspecialty organization, are represented in the Surgical Congress of AAPA, and are recognized by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS).

 

 

  • The Association of Physician Assistant Programs (APAP), “. . .established in 1972, is the national organization representing physician assistant educational programs in the United States.” Provides information about all of the accredited PA programs, and maintains a central application service. Includes:
    • The policy paper: “Guidelines of Courtesy Regarding Collaboration on the Use of Clinical Training Sites.”
    • Comprehensive Review for the Certification and Recertification Examinations for Physician Assistants.
    • On-line Physician Assistant Programs Directory
    • PA GRADRAT, a self-assessment exam for graduate PAs, specifically designed for takers of the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Examination (PANRE).

 

 

  • CERMUSA Center of Excellence for Remote and Medically Under Served Areas. “Combining computer and communications technologies to improve access to health care and education in rural and isolated areas…” Effort of Saint Francis University. Prototype developers included two PAs: William Duryea and Albert Simon. (The Center was included in this list of PA web sites because The Open Directory Project catalogs the Centers’ Web Page as “. . . the brainchild of the PA program at St. Francis College.”

 

 

  • Clinician Stuff ” . . .creative merchandise to increase recognition of . . . physican assistants and nurse practitioners . . .It is our hope that Clinician Stuff will fill a void that presently exists by helping to increase the visibility of our professions.” 8/05, jk

 

 

  • Dermatology Job Site No fees, maintained by one of the founders of the Society of Dermatolgy PAs.

 

 

  • Employment for PAs Page from Open Directory Project, lists AAPA pages for PAs and employers, some recruiting firms, and some employment web sites.

 

  • Federation Credentials Verification Service Fee based primary source verification of education, postgraduate training, licensure examination history, board action history and identity. Allows an individual to establish a confidential, lifetime professional portfolio that can be forwarded at the individual’s request to any interested party, including, but not limited to: state medical boards, hospitals, managed care plans and professional societies. The Federation of State Medical Boards is a nonprofit organization.

 

 

  • HealthStream CME Search Listing of CME Conferences that have indicated their content is also directed toward PA. On December 17, 2002, the day of this review, 15 conferences were listed, but none were by AAPA or their state chapters. There were not listings for web CME-see our section for free and fee based Web CME offerings.

 

 

  • The Internet Journal of Academic Physician Assistants This is a peer reviewed journal, with articles archived by Internet Scientific Publications LLC and recognized by The Library of Congress Catalog of Publications. Includes a page linking to 53 other internet medical journals, from anesthesiology to Space Medicine.

 

  • Kens’ PA Links. Ken is Ken Baker, who was a PA student in 1999, and has not updated his site since. But don’t let that stop you from visiting this site. The depth and breadth of the links is amazing:
    • Clinical Skills: Auscultation, Heart and Lung sounds, Stethoscope and Otoscope use, and a Medical Student section
    • Clinical Cases: Interactive Patient, Cyberounds, Triage, Trauma, Discharge Planning, Ped patients, and more
    • Clinical Resources: H&Ps, Primary Care Teaching modules and Pearls
    • ACLS links
    • Medical Resources: Too many to list
    • What’s a PA?
    • Organizations
    • Financial Aid
    • Book Dealers
    • and some interesting search engines.

 

  • Larry Wright, PAC Only four pages, with a brief article entitled “What is a Physician Assistant (PA)”, a short bio, and links to Panama City, Florida.

 

  • Lewboski’s Home Page  This is Kevin Lewis, PA-C’s web site. Unusual navigation scheme, but many medical, fire, and Occupational Medicine links. Features a series of photos showing an open heart surgery case.

 

  • Medical-PA.com Only offers free email, a direct link to physicianassociate.com (see below), and a search engine for the web.

 

  • Nellmark Novelties  The home page offers T-shirts, poloshirts, sweatshirts, caps, tie tacs and pendants with PA imprints. There are also over 280 links to other medical web sites, organized by clinical areas: geriatrics, pediatrics, and so on.

 

 

  • Occupational Outlook Handbook From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Individual Sections: Nature of the Work | Working Conditions | Employment | Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement | Job Outlook | Earnings | Related Occupations | Sources of Additional Information

 

 

  • PA Linx.com “Physician Assistants News and Newsletters from top medical Journals” The editor of this site is not identified, nor is the criteria used to select the articles listed. Seems to be an automatic retrieval of articles from MDLinx, which offers email newsletters from 28 medical subspecialties with registration.

 

  • PA-student.com  A collection of links of interest to graduate and student PAs. Features a FAQ page for pre-PAs, and a large page of medical links.

 

  • PAboards.com Opened August, 2004, their promotional information states: “Paboards.com is a website that is very helpful and informative in your process in studying for the PANCE/PANRE. There are over 1100 board related questions with many x-rays and EKGs with simple and concise answers and another feature is 50 board related handouts available in PDF format with the ability to download them to print for your personal use. A radiology workshop of CXRs, CTs, abdominal series, and broken bones pertaining to the boards which students are held accountable for is also available in this website.”

 

 

 

  • Physician Assistant AIDS Network “ . . .a not-for-profit organization formed to promote networking, continuing medical education, and symposia for PAs working in HIV/AIDS care.” Features an Interactive Discussion Area, where users can post topics for discussion or discuss difficult case presentations. There is also a live chat feature for planned meetings. Offers information for PAs to become a credentialed HIV Specialist.

 

  • Physician Assistant/Associates A PA web site by an admirer of PAs. The site includes some articles, testimonials, a little listing of CME courses, and links to PA schools. Features an article entitled “Physician Assistants in the United States“, which provides an overview of the profession today, written by some very heavy hitters: David Mittman, James Cawley, and William Fenn.

 

 

 

 

  • Physician Assistant.Org Features about 30 links about PAs and medicine, and information from AAPA and the Department of Labor on PAs.

 

 

 

  • Physician Associate.com Also named the PA Forum. Offers a PA Gift Shop, polls, and discussion forums that can be read by guests, and posted to only by registered members. Can’t contact the owner of the site, as the link “Contact Us” doesn’t work.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants “The Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants (SEMPA) is the national organization representative of the 5,000 physician assistants (PA) currently practicing emergency medicine. We work very closely with both the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) on issues . . . “ The site is well done, with a good EM booklist, and an intriguing Emergency Medicine Self Assessment Examination, based on a well known EM text. The test has 12 sections, with a requirement for a passing score to move on to the next section. Also links to PA EM utilization from AAPA and American College of of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

 

1. Promote the use of Physician Assistant’s as part of the multidisciplinary approach to care of the critically ill and injured.

2. Promote the education of Physician Assistant’s and Physician Assistant students in all aspects of caring for the critically ill and injured.

3. Create a network where Physician Assistants and students interested in the care of the critically ill and injured can learn more about the role of the Physician Assistant in this field, facilitate communication, share ideas, discuss current trends and issues, and exchange information.

4. Serve as an adjunct to the Society of Critical Care Medicine Physician Assistant Section and offer support and guidance.

  • Student Doctor Network. PAs are a subject in this large Forum section. At the time of this review, there were 19 threads, with hundreds of postings.

 

  • Physician Assistant EDU. Is a new website geared for Pre-PAs and PA students of 1st and 2nd year. Very helpful in learning the step needed to get in to a program that is a good fit for you. Also, as a current PA student, figuring out which specialty is good fit for you and practice exam links.

 

 

  • VACareers.com Opportunities in the Veterans Administration for PAs.

 

 

 

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