physician assistant

noun

: a person certified to provide basic medical services usually under the supervision of a licensed physician

called also PA, physician's assistant

Examples of physician assistant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The legislature overrode the veto, and the law enables nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants to provide care. CBS News, 10 Oct. 2024 This vaccine is not required if the child has had chickenpox and has documentation of it from a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice nurse prescriber 2 doses of measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine. Sarah Volpenhein, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2024 Other growth occupations include physician assistants, various other medical assistants, information-security analysts, data scientists, veterinary technicians, statisticians and solar equipment installers. Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 3 Sep. 2024 Atul Grover, executive director of the Research and Action Institute at the Association of American Medical Colleges, said the numbers indicate there are probably ample NPs, physician assistants and physicians to meet primary-care demand in the future. Mckenzie Beard, Washington Post, 17 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for physician assistant 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'physician assistant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of physician assistant was in 1958

Dictionary Entries Near physician assistant

Cite this Entry

“Physician assistant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/physician%20assistant. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

physician assistant

noun
physician as·​sis·​tant
-ə-ˈsis-tənt
variants also physician's assistant
: a specially trained person who is certified to provide basic medical services (as the diagnosis and treatment of common ailments) usually under the supervision of a licensed physician

called also PA

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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