Which decade marked the PA profession's emergence due to provider shortages?

Which decade marked the PA profession's emergence due to provider shortages?

• A. 1950s
• B. 1960s
• C. 1970s
• D. 1980s

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is when the Physician Assistant role first appeared as a response to physician shortages. In the 1960s, the medical field created PAs to extend care and improve access by training midlevel clinicians who could take on many physician tasks under supervision. The first program, started at Duke in 1965 under Dr. Eugene Stead, recruited experienced non-physician healthcare workers (like Navy corpsmen) to become PAs, specifically to help address gaps in primary care. This establishes the decade of emergence. While the 1950s laid groundwork and later decades saw growth and formalization, the decisive, shortage-driven origin occurs in the 1960s.

The idea being tested is when the Physician Assistant role first appeared as a response to physician shortages. In the 1960s, the medical field created PAs to extend care and improve access by training midlevel clinicians who could take on many physician tasks under supervision. The first program, started at Duke in 1965 under Dr. Eugene Stead, recruited experienced non-physician healthcare workers (like Navy corpsmen) to become PAs, specifically to help address gaps in primary care. This establishes the decade of emergence. While the 1950s laid groundwork and later decades saw growth and formalization, the decisive, shortage-driven origin occurs in the 1960s.