Argument

There is a raging debate in the world of physician assistant education and among professionals about moving to the "doctorate" degree. The argument is largely stimulated by the perception that physician assistant need this "sheepskin" to compete with the nurse practitioners who are doing the same (Dr. Nurses). It is also fueled by academic physician assistants with various doctorate degrees, who represents institutions of higher learning that stand to benefit from advanced doctorate education.

 

Physician Assistants are clinicians who practice medicine with physician supervision. PA's are medical practitioners at the BS and Masters level. If we are to expand our degrees to the doctorate doesn't it make sense that it be a MD or DO degree.  After all, isn't that the terminal "clinical" degree for the practice of medicine? If PA's want to be doctors, they should just got to medical school. What a great idea?