1. Adds flexibility. Physician assistants are trained in a similar way to doctor. PAs can order and read lab tests and treat a full spectrum of illnesses and injuries. PAs perform 80 percent of the tasks doctors regularly carry out.
2. Have prescription authority. While most states require PAs to function under the guidance of physicians, all states grant PAs prescription authority.
3. Free up physicians. PAs lessen the caseload burden on physicians, allowing doctors to devote their expertise to more critically ill patients.
4. Practice in many specialties. Today, the advanced practice providers work in a variety of settings, such as urgent care, emergency medicine and surgery.
5. Contribute to patient satisfaction. According to one study, patient satisfaction ranged between 89 and 96 percent for PAs
6. Offer a cost-effective staffing option. While PA pay is rising, they still earn less than physicians, which makes recruiting them a financially sound strategy.
7. Work as locum tenens. The short-term arrangement enables an office to gauge PAs’ roles in the workplace without the cost of permanent employees.