Physician Assistant Entry Level Masters Program: Welcome Message

Patrick C. Auth, Ph.D., MS, PA-C,

Program Director for the Entry-Level Physician Assistant Program since 2000, Dr. Auth is the current Chairman of the ARC-PA and continues to actively lecture and teach in numerous courses in the program. He is a 1986 graduate of the Hahnemann Physician Assistant Program.

Welcome to the Hahnemann Physician Assistant Program of Drexel University and your interest in the Physician Assistant Profession.

The fundamental tenet of the physician assistant (PA) profession is that PAs practice as members of physician-directed teams. The American Academy of Physician Assistants defines the PA as "a health professional licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision." In clinical practice, the PA complements the practice style of the supervising physician or physicians. The physician-physician assistant relationship defines the PA role in health care. The laws and regulations governing PA practice reflect, in great measure the extraordinary level of trust and confidence between the supervising physician and the PA. PAs provide medical care to patients within the scope of practice of the supervising physician by effectively collecting essential medical data (through medical history-taking, physical examination, and ordering and interpreting necessary ancillary diagnostic testing); diagnosing patients by assessing the available patient, medical data; and providing patients with specific therapies, including the prescribing of medications, counseling, and patient education appropriate to the patients' conditions.

The Hahnemann Physician Assistant Program, one of the nation’s oldest and largest, is pledged to providing students with the most current and finest preparatory training available. Employing continuous curricular analysis, assessment of the best clinical practices, and utilization of state-of-the art in educational technologies, program graduates are eminently prepared to undertake their roles as professional health care practitioners.

I wish you every success in the pursuit of your chosen career and thank you for considering the Hahnemann Physician Assistant Program as your potential partner in your professional preparation.

Patrick C. Auth, PhD, PA-C
Program Director