Timeline

The following timeline presents important milestones and events in the evolutionary
development of the Physician Assistant (PA) profession. The evolutionary events are
grouped into seven distinct periods following closely those suggested by James Gifford
and Roderick Hooker and James Cawley.

Precedent Events and Prototype Period (1650 to 1960) - The predecessors, social and political events preceding and fostering the establishment of the PA profession.		1650 - 1960
Ideological Period (1961 to 1965) - Introduction of the PA concept to organized medicine and the general public.		1961 - 1965
Implementation Period (1966 to 1972) - Establishment and development of first formal PA educational programs and PA professional organizations; enactment of model legislation; establishment of accreditation and certification procedures; endorsement and support of professional, private and Federal organizations; and performance of first acceptance, productivity and role definitions studies on PAs.		1966 - 1972
Evaluation and Standardization Period (1973 to 1980) - First AAPA conference held in Texas; first national certifying examination administered; continuing medical education (CME) and re-certifying examination requirements established; rapid expansion of baccalaureate PA educational programs stimulated by Federal training contracts; initial workforce studies conducted on PAs; establishment of AAPA House of Delegates; and enactment of PA enabling legislation by most states.		1973 - 1980
Incorporation Period (1981 to 1990) - PA role expansion and increased specialization; positive recognition of PA contributions to the workforce; approval of reimbursement of PA services in certain settings under Medicare Part B; awarding PAs commissioned officer status in uniformed services; passage and revision of legislation including prescriptive privileges in most states.		1981 - 1990
Maturation and Consolidation Period (1991 to 2000) - Health care reform provides new opportunities and risk for PAs; states continue to revise legislation, rules and regulations to reduce barriers to use PAs effectively in variety of health care settings; Veterans Administration Medical Centers, Military and other Federal sponsored health care institutions rely heavily on PAs to bolster medical staffs; HMOs recognize vital roles of PAs and NPs in reducing cost; steps are taken to foster and maintain close working relationships with organized medicine; rapid expansion of physician assistant programs and trend towards master's level education.		1991 - 2000
Expansion and Integration Period (2001 to Present) - The number of accredited PA educational programs surpasses 130; the profession celebrates its 35th anniversary; international interest in the PA model of health care delivery grows; record numbers of new PA graduates take the PANCE; and reduced MD resident hours spurs employment and postgraduate learning opportunities for PAs in hospital inpatient settings.		2001 - Present