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General Joint Surgery Information
What's a Physician Assistant (PA)?
A PA is a professional healthcare worker who has extensive
training to assist or "extend" a doctor's time. They
assume many roles depending on where and for whom they work.
In rural areas they often work independently from physicians
and are often the only medical care available in some remote
communities. In the operating room they assist in the surgery,
holding instruments and helping to close incisions. They cannot
perform essential parts of the surgery but make it possible
for the case to go faster, thus decreasing the opportunity for
complications. In specialty offices such as orthopedics, they
often see healthy patients who are coming in for a check-up
but have no problems to report.
These professionals are trained more rigorously than RNs and
are therefore allowed more independence from the physician.
They have several years of study in anatomy, pharmacology, diagnostic
medicine and other areas similar to medical school courses.
They are a resource too often underutilized.
In our patient setting, it is more and more difficult to get
healthy patients in for regular check-ups, and regular check-ups
prevent problems from becoming severe. We are beginning to use
our PAs more extensively to see follow-up patients. If you see
the PA first, you will always get to speak to the doctor before
you leave. However, the PA will take your history and do the
physical exam and make notes of the visit. This will allow the
doctors to see more patients in a day and keep the schedule
from backing up for weeks.
Please help us make these appointments beneficial for everyone.
Tell the appointment desk if you are coming in for an annual
check or whether there is a problem. A "problem visit"
to us means that you have had a recent fall and cannot put weight
on the leg; you have developed redness, swelling and fever;
you have a surgical wound that will not heal; or another joint
that we have not operated on is bothering you enough that you
want to consider surgery on that leg. Problem visits will be
scheduled with the doctor. If you have questions about your
activities, vague discomfort only at certain times that does
not keep you from daily activities, or soreness stemming from
your most recent surgery, the PA can help you more quickly than
the doctor can. In fact, a phone call to the office may be able
to ease your mind about the problem and you won't have to wait
to see the doctor.
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