VA Physician Assistant Services (PAS) Office
PAs Go Beyond!
Celebrate PA Week!
Every year from October 6-12 is PA Week, a chance to celebrate the Physician Associates/Assistants (PAs) profession and the countless contributions that PAs make to healthcare! As licensed clinicians, PAs practice medicine in every specialty and setting.
Physician assistants have been working especially hard this year, and we want to send out a huge thank you!
Thanks for your dedication to caring for your patients, supporting your care teams, sharing your expertise and upholding your profession!
Born from military service PAs serve Veterans
Did you know the PA profession is uniquely born out of caring for Veterans and military service?
In the 1960s, Duke University Medical Center developed the nation’s first PA program as there was a recognized shortage of primary care physicians, and there were Veterans with significant military medical training without a clearly outlined avenue to enter the workforce. The program was modeled after the fast-track training of doctors during World War II. The inaugural class was made up of four Navy Hospital Corpsmen.
Since the first graduating class in 1967, the PA profession has continued to grow, with PAs practicing in every state in the nation and across the globe. Continuing the PA legacy of military and Veteran service, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest single employer of PAs in the United States with more than 2,500 PAs serving in the Veterans Health Administration. Many continue to serve as active duty servicemembers.
What is a PA?
• PAs are licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. Trusted, rigorously educated and trained healthcare professionals, PAs are dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness through patient-centered, team-based medical practice.
• PAs practice in every work setting, from hospitals and urgent care centers to outpatient offices and clinics, often serving as a patient's primary care provider. They practice medicine in all medical and surgical specialties, including family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, gerontology, and more.
• PAs believe communities flourish when people are
healthy-when their care is personalized and effective, their concerns are heard, their questions are answered, and they're empowered to take charge of their long-term health and
well-being.
• PAs Go Beyond because they believe expanding access to quality care is more than just a job-it's a call to service.
• PAs are one of the fastest-growing healthcare provider professions
• In 2023, U.S. News & World Report named PA as one of the top two healthcare professions in the country for the sixth year in a row.
Discover How PAs Go Beyond!
Attentive, experienced, skillful, and compassionate, PAs (physician associates/physician assistants) devote their lives to providing quality medical care. As licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting, PAs are dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness through patient-centered, team-based medical practice.
Quality medical care goes beyond prescriptions and procedures. It's a commitment to putting patients first and going the extra mile to get results. PAs believe communities flourish when each individual is healthy-when a patient's care is personalized and effective, their concerns are heard, their questions are answered, and they are empowered to take charge of their long-term health and well-being.
PAs are always needed at VA
Whether you’re a new graduate or an experienced professional, PAs are always needed at VA. Whatever opportunity you’re looking to explore as a PA, we have a way to get you exactly where you want to go, both professionally and personally.
- LEARN what VA has to offer physician assistants (PDF).
- EXPLORE our mission to serve Veterans.
- READ about benefits of joining our team.
- APPLY for jobs at VA.
Find VA locations near you with our facility locator tool: https://www.va.gov/find-locations/
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Try using our other tools to search. https://www.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp
*Link will take you outside of the Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA) Website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites. The link will open in a new window for the content of the linked websites.
