Patient education: the role of the physician assistant and other allied health professionals.

ABSTRACT

The physician assistant (PA) has been on the leading edge in the development of midlevel health providers since the 1960s. As an allied health professional, PAs, along with nurse practitioners, midwives, nurse anesthetists, and others, emphasize patient education. Oftentimes, patient education can be introduced in the academic setting, but true learning comes with experience as a student in clinical training.Most people enter an allied health profession with a sincere interest in developing quality patient-provider relationships. The basis for these relationships is thoughtful time spent with patients, listening to them and gaining a true appreciation of their fears and concerns and a comprehension of ill health as well as ideal health.Allied health professionals are commonly employed in settings that emphasize the team approach in medicine. By offering a patient the variety of services that the team can give, the practice of medicine becomes holistic, and patient education is integrated very easily.