title: The physician's assistant.
abstract: A physician's assistant is trained to act in the place of the physician in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients. Tasks that can be performed by assistants, legislation related to their responsibilities, the question of physician supervision, educational programs and certification, and factors in employment are matters that are being dealt with by our colleagues in medicine. The acceptance of this new category of health care personnel has implications for the status of expanded duty dental auxiliaries in dentistry.
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification; D004651:Employment; D007883:Legislation, Medical; D010823:Physician Assistants / Q000193:education; D014481:United States