"Physician Assistants: Collaboration & Care," A National Library of Medicine Exhibit

The physician assistant (PA) profession started as a uniquely American career that developed as a reaction to the changing social, cultural, and health care landscapes of the mid-20th century. Over the past 50 years, PAs have become an essential part of the U.S. health care system. Physician Assistants: Collaboration and Care, the new online and traveling exhibition, celebrates the field’s unique history, its current thriving state, and its bright future. This blog will explore how convergences in American history led to the creation of the profession in 1965.

The PA profession was created to improve and expand healthcare, the first PA class graduating from the Duke University PA program on October 6, 1967.
In 1968, the American Academy of Physician Associates (formerly the American Academy of Physician Assistants) was established and incorporated in the state of North Carolina.

This Timeline contains important milestones and events in the development of the physician assistant (PA) profession. It provides the reader with an introduction to the people, events and activities that have shaped the growth of the profession from concept to reality. With the exception of the precedent years that date back to 1650, the Timeline presents a decade by decade progression in the use of non-physicians to provide health care in the United States and other countries. Embedded in the Timeline are links to other relevant sites, illustrations and references to enrich the reader’s depth of knowledge about our professional history and how it is intertwined with that of other health professions.