Every year from October 6 through October 12, Cooper recognizes National Physician Assistant (PA) Week and celebrates the many important contributions that PAs make to health care.
PAs play an integral role in improving health care access and quality. They provide comprehensive care that emphasizes patient education, preventive care, and chronic care management, and often serve as a patient’s principal health care provider. With thousands of hours of medical training, PAs are versatile and collaborative – they practice in every medical setting and specialty.
At Cooper, our PAs are a vital part of the clinical team and perform a number of essential duties, including:
- Taking medical histories
- Conducting physical exams
- Diagnosing and treating illnesses
- Ordering and interpreting tests
- Developing treatment plans
- Prescribing medications
- Counseling on preventive care
- Performing procedures
- Assisting in surgeries
- Making rounds in hospitals and nursing homes
- Conducting clinical research
PAs are represented throughout Cooper in areas including but not limited to inpatient and outpatient settings; specialty areas such as orthopaedics, cardiology, pulmonary, neurology, critical care, surgical specialties, and more; and MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper.
Thank you to our PAs for the outstanding care you provide to our patients and their families.