PAs: Public awareness and the popular media
Reginald D Carter1, Ruth Ballweg
1Reginald D. Carter is a cofounder and historian emeritus of the Physician Assistant History Society and former chief and director of the PA program at Duke University in Durham, N.C. Ruth Ballweg is the historian of the Physician Assistant History Society and former director of the MEDEX Northwest PA program at the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Abstract:
From the very beginning, popular media has played an essential role in driving public awareness and recognition of physician assistants (PAs) as major contributors to healthcare. But for PAs, popular media can be a double-edged sword. Over time, the roles of PAs have evolved from bit players to leading characters on television medical dramas. Even so, on some occasions, the roles of PAs have been marginalized and misrepresented. In the future, the PA profession will need to remain vigilant about how PAs are portrayed in the popular media and must learn how to use the full benefit of the media to promote the profession's diversity, flexibility, collegiality, and civic-mindedness.
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