Designed as a highly visual and practical resource to be used across the spectrum of lifelong learning, Ballweg’s Physician Assistant, 7th Edition, helps you master all the core competencies needed for physician assistant certification, recertification, and clinical practice. It remains the only textbook that covers all aspects of the physician assistant profession, the PA curriculum, and the PA’s role in clinical practice. Ideal for both students and practicing PAs, it features a succinct, bulleted writing style, convenient tables, practical case studies, and clinical application questions that enable you to master key concepts and clinical applications.

• Addresses all six physician assistant competencies, as well as providing guidance for the newly graduated PA entering practice.
• Includes five new chapters: What Is a Physician Assistant, and How Did We Get Here?, Effective Use of Technology for Patient-Centered Care, Success in the Clinical Year, Transitioning to Practice and Working in Teams,  and Finding Your Niche.
• Features an enhanced focus on content unique to the PA profession that is not readily found in other resources, more illustrations for today’s visually oriented learners, a more consistent format throughout, and a new emphasis on the appropriate use of social media among healthcare professionals.
• Provides updated content throughout to reflect the needs of the PA profession,  including new content on self-care for the PA to help prevent burnout, suicide, and other hazards faced by healthcare professionals.
• Guides students in preparation for each core clinical rotation and common electives, as well as working with  special patient populations such as patients experiencing homelessness and patients with disabilities.
• Includes quick-use resources, such as objectives and key points sections for each chapter, tip boxes with useful advice, abundant tables and images, and more than 130 updated case studies.

Contents

۱. What is a physician assistant and how did we get here?
۲. Physician assistant relationship to physicians
۳. Maximizing your physician assistant education
۴. History of the profession and current trends
۵. Optimal team practice
۶. International development of the physician assistant profession
۷. Physician assistant education: Past, present, and future challenges
۸. Assuring quality for physician assistants: Accreditation, certification, licensing, and privileging
۹. Health care financing and reimbursement
۱۰. The political process
۱۱. The postgenomic era: Genetic & genomic applications for clinical practice
۱۲. Chronic care perspectives
۱۳. Considerations for a logical approach to medication prescribing
۱۴. Communication issues
۱۵. Interpersonal and communication skills/people and technology – using technology without alienating patients
۱۶. Patient education
۱۷. Providing culturally competent health care
۱۸. Success in the clinical year
۱۹. Safety in clinical settings
۲۰. Family medicine
۲۱. Internal medicine
۲۲. Women’s health
۲۳. Pediatrics
۲۴. Behavioral science and medicine: Essentials in practice
۲۵. Surgery
۲۶. Emergency medicine
۲۷. Introduction to elective rotations
۲۸. Cardiology
۲۹. Dermatology
۳۰. Orthopedics
۳۱. Oncology
۳۲. Other medical subspecialties
۳۳. Other surgical subspecialties
۳۴. International clinical rotations
۳۵. Professionalism
۳۶. Clinical ethics
۳۷. Medical malpractice and risk management
۳۸. Postgraduate clinical training programs for physician assistants
۳۹. Stress, burnout, and self-care for physician assistants
۴۰. Interprofessional practice and education
۴۱. Evidence-based medicine
۴۲. Research and the physician assistant
۴۳. Health disparities
۴۴. Patient safety and quality of care
۴۵. Health and health care delivery systems
۴۶. Postacute care, rehabilitation, and long-term care systems
۴۷. Population health
۴۸. Health care for the homeless
۴۹. Correctional medicine
۵۰. Military medicine
۵۱. Urban health care
۵۲. Rural health care in the united states
۵۳. International health care
۵۴. Patients with disabilities
۵۵. Mass casualty natural disaster
۵۶. Transition to professional practice
۵۷. Finding your niche
۵۸. Leadership skills for physician assistants
۵۹. Be a physician assistant educator
۶۰. Professional service
۶۱. The future of the physician assistant profession