rss
Emerg Med J 2005;22:322-324 doi:10.1136/emj.2004.021493
  • Review

Commentary from the front lines: American physician assistants working in a United Kingdom emergency department

  1. J S Smith,
  2. B Tevis,
  3. K Murali
  1. Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital, NHS Trust, Lyndon, West Bromwich, West Midlands, UK
  1. Correspondence to:
 J S Smith
 Emergency Department Physician Assistant, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust, Lyndon, West Bromwich, West Midlands B71 4HJ, UK; Jamismith76hotmail.com

    Abstract

    Physician assistants (PAs) have been an integral part of the emergency medicine team in the USA for the past 30 years. This review outlines the reasons why PAs can play a vital role in UK National Health Service (NHS). The experience of American PAs working in one NHS trust are discussed, highlighting the cultural differences in the environment of the emergency departments in the two countries that will influence the scope of practice of PAs in the UK.

    Footnotes

    • Competing interests: none declared

    This Article

    1. Abstract
    2. Full text
    3. PDF

    Responses

    1. Submit a response
    2. No responses published

    Register for free content

    The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

    Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.