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P What?
Katie Endres PA-C
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Where I started

Potomac Falls High School
Class of 2004

The College of William and
Mary Class of 2008


Bachelors of Science in
Neuroscience and
Kinesiology
Chatham University Class of
2011

Master of Physician Assistant
Studies
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What is a Physician Assistant?

A PA is a nationally certified and state-licensed medical
professional

PA’s practice medicine with physician supervision in every
state, specialty, and setting

There are more than 90,000 certified PA’s practicing in the US
today
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History of Physician Assistant

In response to lack of primary
care providers after WWII, Dr.
Charles Hudson called for “midlevel” providers in the Journal of
American Medical Association
in 1961

Dr. Eugene Stead developed a
program for “physician’s
assistant” using former military
corpsmen in 1964

In 1965 a Physician assistant
educational program was
inaugurated at Duke University
 Program accepted 4 former
Navy medical corpsmen
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Becoming a PA
Prerequisites
Healthcare Experience

Chemistry

Medical Assistant

Physiology

EMT

Paramedic

Lab Assistant/Phlebotomist

Registered Nurse

ER Tech

Surgical Tech

CNA


Anatomy
Microbiology

Biology

GRE/MCAT
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Becoming a PA

Over 170 Accredited
Educational Programs

Apply using CASPA



Similar to Common
Application
Programs range from 24
months to 27 months

1st Year-Classroom
instruction

2nd Year-Clinical Rotations
Graduate with a master’s
degree
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Becoming a PA
Classroom Instruction-1st Year

Anatomy

Physiology

Biochemistry

Pharmacology
Rotations-2nd Year

Family Medicine

Internal Medicine

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Pediatrics

General Surgery

Emergency Medicine

Physical Diagnosis

Pathophysiology

Microbiology

Clinical Laboratory Science

Psychiatry

Behavioral Science

Orthopedics

Medical Ethics

Cardiology
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Becoming Certified

Once graduating from an
accredited PA program you are
eligible to take the PANCE
 Physician Assistant National
Certifying Exam
 5-Hour Exam
 300 multiple-choice
questions

To Maintain certification
 Complete PANRE every 10
years
 Complete 100 hours of
continuing medical education
[CME] every 2 years
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Becoming Certified

CAQ’s
 Specialty Certificates of
Added Qualifications
 To Qualify
1. Current PA-C
certification
2. Possession of a license to
practice
3. 2 years of experience
4. 100 hours of specialty
specific CME’s
5. Procedures and patient
case experience
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Types of CAQ’s

Cardiovascular/Thoracic
Surgery

Emergency Medicine

Hospital Medicine
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Nephrology
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Orthopedic Surgery

Pediatrics
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Psychiatry
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Physician Assistant Certified

Ranked #10 on the Best Jobs
List by U.S. News and World
Report

Median Salary: $92,970
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Top 10%: $130,620
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Lowest 10%: 62,030
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Projected to add 33,300 new
positions by the end of the
decade
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1.2% unemployment rate
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Orthopedics
Adults
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Fractures
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Joint Replacement
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Shoulder Injuries
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Rotator Cuff, Labral Tear,
Impingment
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
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Trigger Finger
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Orthopedics
Total Knee Replacement
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Orthopedics
Total Hip Replacement
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Orthopedics
Pediatrics
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Fractures
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Scoliosis
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Sports Related Injuries
 ACL/PCL Injuries
 Sprains
 Strains
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Hip Dysplasia
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Clubfoot
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Cerebral Palsy
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Orthopedics
Developmental Dislocation of the Hip [DDH]
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Orthopedics
Tibia Vara
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Blount’s Disease
 Growth plate shuts down
causing legs to bow
outwards
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3 Types
1. Infantile [<3 years old]
2. Juvenile [4-10 years old]
3. Adolescent [>11 years old]
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Treatment
 Non-Surgical-bracing
 Surgical-osteotomy vs.
external fixation
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Orthopedics
Tibia Vara
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Orthopedics
Tibia Vara
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Orthopedics
Leg Length Discrepancy

The majority of people in the
world have a 2cm leg length
discrepancy
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A limp generally begins when
the LLD exceeds 2cm
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A limp becomes extremely
noticeable above 3cm
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Causes

Previous injury to the bone
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Bone infection
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Bone diseases
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Orthopedics
Leg Length Discrepancy
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Orthopedics
Fractures

A partial or complete break in the
bone
 Open vs. Closed
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Nearly 20% of children who present
with an injury have a fracture
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Growth plate injuries
 Salter Harris Fracture
 5 Types
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Most common fracture
 Distal radius
 Elbow
 Clavicle
 Tibia
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Orthopedics
Fractures
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Supracondylar Humerus
Fracture
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10% of all fractures in
children
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Three types
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Type 1: non-displaced
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Type 2: displaced
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Type 3: displaced with no
contact of fragments
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Orthopedics
Fractures
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Orthopedics
Fractures
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Orthopedics
Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease
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Orthopedics
Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease

Perthes is characterized by a
temporary loss of blood
supply to the hip

Without blood supply, the
rounded head of the femur
dies
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Treatment

Non-surgical

Petrie casts
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Orthopedics
Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease
Petrie Casts
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Orthopedics
Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease
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Surgical

Establishes proper
alignment of the bones of
the hip

Head of the femur is
placed deep within the
socket
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Alignment kept in place
with screws and a plate
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Orthopedics
Scoliosis
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An abnormal side-to-side “S” or
“C” shaped curve
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Curve greater than 10 degrees
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Mainly affects girls

Three to five out of every 1,000
children develop spinal curves
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Three Types
 Idiopathic: most common
 Neuromuscular: cerebral
palsy
 Congenital: present at birth,
failure of vertebrae to form
normally
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Orthopedics
Scoliosis
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Signs and Symptoms
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Uneven shoulder heights
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Head not centered with the
rest of the body
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Uneven hip heights
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Uneven shoulder blade
heights
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When bending forward, the
left and right sides of the
back are asymmetrical
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Orthopedics
Scoliosis
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Treatment
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Observation and monitoring
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Curves <25 degrees
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Casting-in young children
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Bracing
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Curves 25-50 degrees
Surgery
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Curves >50 degrees
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Orthopedics
Scoliosis
Posterior Instrumentation and Spinal Fusion
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Questions?