Pa's can prescribe drugs like a physician. Basically PA's and Nurse practioners handle most of the caseload, and doctors are becoming more and more specialized. Also for complicated cases, PA's and NP's will consult with Doctors. It should be mentioned that Doctors have significantly more graduate education than do either PA's or Nurses. Typically a PA will have a 4-yr bachelors and a 2-yr PA schooling. There are some more comprehensive 3-yr PA schools out there, but they are not as "popular" as you can imagine. My wife graduated from a 3-yr PA program in Texas and got quite a bit of education, many classes were the same classes Doctors take. But when you factor in that the average doctor has 7-9 years of graduate education, you can certainly see the difference. But with more and more people needing care as our nation ages and we continue to be obese, NP's and PA's will continue to handle the bulk of the caseloads at most hospitals and clinics, imo, and be "overseen" by doctors.
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