title: Who represents surgeon's assistants?
abstract: While PAs, surgical PAs, and SAs share many of the same characteristics, their two representative organizations, the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the American academy of Surgeon's Assistants (AASA), still remain separate entities. SAs originated in the mid-1960s, soon after the first PAs began to practice, yet they initially faced difficulties being accepted by the AAPA, the NCCPA, and the medical community in general. In recent years, however, the AASA and the AAPA have drawn more closely together, sharing and working for many of the same goals. In addition, now that SAs are eligible for NCCPA certification, which was originally denied them until 1976, they have a greater opportunity to become accepted members of the medical profession. The history of the AASA and the SA profession are discussed, as well as the AASA's growing alliance with the AAPA, the differences between the two groups, and their similarities.
mesh_terms: D009872:Operating Room Technicians; D010823:Physician Assistants; D012952:Societies / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States