Physician assistants honored nationally

Class officers for UNMC’s PA Class of 2005.

UNMC’s physician assistant program was still in its infancy when Mark Christiansen joined nearly 30 years ago.

“It seemed like a new and exciting field,” he said.

An assistant professor in the UNMC School of Allied Health Professions, Christiansen hasn’t been disappointed with his career choice. “The job satisfaction is very high,” he said. “I can’t think of anything else I’d enjoy doing more.”

The Emerson, Neb., native said he enjoys the variety and autonomy of the profession. “You are challenged daily with new learning and are involved in all aspects of care,” he said.

UNMC’s PA program was established in 1971, as a result of a mandate from the Nebraska State Legislature to provide primary care providers for rural and underserved areas of Nebraska. The first students graduated from the UNMC program in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree. Christiansen entered the two-year program that year and was in the third class of PAs to graduate from UNMC.

There are approximately 40,500 physician assistants — licensed health professionals who practice medicine under the supervision of a physician — in clinical practice across the country. Today, they will be honored today during National PA day for the quality care they provide to millions of Americans. Oct. 6 commemorates the day the first physician assistants graduated from Duke University in North Carolina in 1967.

PAs deliver a board range of medical and surgical services to diverse populations in rural and urban settings. Although what PAs do varies with training, experience and state laws, they generally provide about 80 percent of the services typically provided by a family physician. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery and prescribe medications.

UNMC’s PA Class of 2005.

UNMC’s PA class of 2005 will set up a booth about the profession today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside the Nebraska Café and at Clarkson Tower.

There are about 120 students enrolled in UNMC’s PA program and about 20 UNMC graduates working as PAs across campus in such areas as family medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, emergency medicine, surgery, psychiatry, internal medicine, oncology/hematology, and bone marrow transplantation. For more information, visit UNMC’s PA Web site (www.unmc.edu/alliedhealth/pa) or the American Academy of Physician Assistants Web site (www.AAPA.org).