General Information Flashcards
16 cards from real Physician Assistant practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 16 General Information flashcards as text
What position does PA have among US News and World Report's "top 100 jobs"?
Answer: 3
Physician Assistant has consistently ranked near the very top of U.S. News & World Report's Best Jobs list, placing 3rd in the cited ranking. The other positions don't match the report's listed standing for the PA profession.
Feldshers in Russia received instruction in the 1650s.
Answer: 2.5 years
Feldshers in Russia in the 1650s typically received about 2.5 years of training, including basic medical skills such as bloodletting, wound care, and childbirth.
Who established MEDEX?
Answer: Richard Smith
MEDEX (Medicine Extension) was established in 1969 by Richard Smith and John Coombs at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington, to train physician assistants to provide primary care services in rural and underserved areas.
How many PA programs are there right now?
Answer: 282
As of September 2025, there are 282 accredited PA programs in the United States.
Which DOES NOT fall under IPC's purview?
Answer: Lower or stabilized costs
Lower or stabilized costs are not a competency of IPC.
Who should be chosen to oversee a PA?
Answer: MD
DO, and MD can supervise a PA.
Who was involved in developing the first NP program?
Answer: Dr Silver and Loretta Ford
Dr. Loretta Ford and Dr. Henry Silver together created the first Nurse Practitioner (NP) program in the mid-1960s at the University of Colorado.
Every two years, log 100 hours of continuing education, and every six years, take the recertification exam.
Answer: to maintain national certification, PA's must
The sentence describes the recertification requirements PAs follow to keep their national certification — logging 100 hours of continuing education every two years and passing the recert exam every six years. So the correct completion is 'to maintain national certification, PAs must.' The other phrases describe program length, job duties, or admissions, which don't match these maintenance requirements.
Amt of time spent in school
Answer: Main difference between PA and physician
The main difference between a PA and a physician is the amount of time spent in school—physician training (medical school plus residency) takes substantially longer than the master's-level PA pathway. Female percentage, median age, and admissions tests are demographic or process details, not the fundamental structural difference between the two careers.
The only national organization that represents PAs in all specialties and all employment settings.
Answer: American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) is the only national organization that represents PAs across all specialties and employment settings. APAP focuses on PA education programs and the CHA program is a specific training program, so neither serves as the overarching professional body for the entire profession.
An internship or residency.
Answer: PA's dont need to do
Unlike physicians, PAs do not need to complete an internship or residency after graduation—they are trained to enter practice directly. While optional postgraduate residencies exist, they are not a required step, which is a key distinction from the physician pathway.
bachelor's an about 4 yrs of healthcare experience
Answer: typical applicant already has
The typical PA program applicant already has a bachelor's degree plus about four years of hands-on healthcare experience. The other options describe program accreditation standards or GPA requirements rather than the applicant's expected background.
When was the Society for the Preservation of Physician Assistant History incorporated?
Answer: January 17, 2002
The Society for the Preservation of Physician Assistant History was incorporated on January 17, 2002. The other dates are close but incorrect—this specific founding date is the documented one.
Who was the first elected president of the Society for the Preservation of Physician Assistant History?
Answer: Dr. J. Jeffery Heinrich
Dr. J. Jeffery Heinrich was the first elected president of the Society for the Preservation of Physician Assistant History. The other names are not the documented founding leader of the organization.
What materials are collected by the Physician Assistant History Society?
Answer: papers, manuscripts, magazine and newspaper clippings, newsletters, reports, dissertations, oral histories
The PA History Society collects written and recorded historical materials—papers, manuscripts, magazine and newspaper clippings, newsletters, reports, dissertations, and oral histories. The other options (videos/songs, novels/poems, recipes) are not the documentary records used to preserve the profession's history.
Which organization became a supporting organization of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants in 2011?
Answer: The PA History Society
The PA History Society became a supporting organization of the NCCPA in 2011, aligning its historical-preservation mission with the certifying body. The AAPA, Duke, and APAP play different roles and were not the supporting organization referenced here.