October 6 – 12, 2025, is National Physician Associate Week, and according to the American Academy of Physician Associates, it is a time to celebrate all that physician associates (PAs) have accomplished, highlight the care they provide, and elevate the profession (https://www.aapa.org/pas-go-beyond/).
To help celebrate, I thought a quick summary about the profession might help.
Origins and Early Development
The PA profession was conceptualized in the mid-1960s by Dr. Eugene A. Stead Jr. at Duke University. It was created to address a shortage of primary care physicians and improve access to healthcare. Dr. Stead modeled the PA curriculum on the fast-track training of doctors during World War II.
After failing to attract nurses into this profession, the concept looked to military medics and corpsmen, individuals who had extensive medical training but limited civilian career opportunities. Given this, the first Duke cohort consisted of four Navy Corpsmen, starting in 1965, graduating three on October 6, 1967.
Evolution of the Profession
It didn’t take long for the profession to evolve beyond the military corpsman, accepting students from many various medical backgrounds. Initially focused on primary care, the PA profession has diversified into many surgical and non-surgical sub-specialties such as surgery, emergency medicine, and dermatology. This shift reflects broader trends in healthcare and the increasing demand for specialized care.
Current Specialties and Distribution
To break this shift down into a percentage, we see:
- Primary Care: ~27%
- Surgical Subspecialties: ~19%
- Emergency Medicine: ~13%
- Internal Medicine Subspecialties: ~11%
- Dermatology: ~4%
- Other Specialties: Remaining percentage
Program Length and Degree Awarded
On average, PA programs last between 24 and 27 months. This time is continuous, meaning there is no summer break. In other words, the graduate program runs over six continuous semesters or three years. But don’t let that fool you, the academic load is equivalent to four years of graduate work or approximately 120 to 130 graduate semester hours, which is well beyond the requirement for almost all applied doctorate degree programs.
Sadly, PAs are awarded a master’s degree which reflects a workload of about 30 to 45 graduate semester hours. In my discussions with regional accreditation organizations that accredit a university program, the PA program meets doctoral requirements. But the profession’s medical accreditation has been unwilling to recognize this value. Perhaps someday, this will get corrected, not by increasing academic workload or costs but by simply discussing the change with the regional accreditation body and changing thoughts within the medical accreditation standards.
Program Cost
As for the cost of PA programs, it varies widely, ranging from $50,000 to well over $150,000, depending on the institution and whether the student is in-state or out-of-state.
Summary
The PA profession has grown from a solution to a physician shortage into a vital part of the healthcare system. It has expanded in diversity, specialties, and geographic reach while maintaining its core mission of collaboration and patient care. Today, PAs are integral to addressing healthcare needs across the United States. If you know a PA, be sure to let them know how much you appreciate their service, service though medicine. To learn more about the PA profession, go to the PA History Society website https://pahx.org/timeline/
Gregory Davenport
Greg Davenport (DHSc., PA-C) believes in “service through medicine.” Davenport has over 40 years of professional experience providing medical care in underserved populations and areas.
