MCPHS PA Interview Exam Questions And
100% Correct Answers 2024-2025
What is the history of PA in US? - Answer o In US, the PA role came about in 1960s-70s,
coming from medics in Veterans' war-for vets returning to society this gave them a
place in society, a role to help them adjust to life out of war. o In between doctor and
nurse, building a bridge between trained medical professionals.
o PA profession originally created to expand healthcare and improve it
o In the mid-1960s physicians and educators determined there was a shortage of
primary care physicians
o Eugene A. Stead Jr., MD, of the Duke University Medical Center, put together the first
class of PAs in 1965
o Four Navy hospital corpsmen, who had received considerable medical training during
their military service were chosen to participate in the class
o Founded the program based on knowledge of fast-track training of doctors during
World War 1
o First class graduated from Duke on Oct 6. 1967
o PA concept gained federal acceptance and backing as early as 1970s to help relieve
the physician shortages
o Medical community provided abundant support of the new profession and spurred the
developed of accreditation status, national certification and standardization exam, and
continuing medical education requirements
Difference between PA and MD- Answer o PA is dependent practitioner, while MD is
independent o PA needs supervising physician o Generally, PA can change specialty
easily, which is not easy for an MD o PA assists during surgery while MD independently
performs
PA and NP difference - Answer o PAs train using the medical model, similar to
physicians in that they focus on the testing, diagnosis, and treatment of disease that a
patient has. o NPs train on the nursing model in that they focus on the testing, diagnosis,
and treatment of the patient with the disease.
, o PAs look mainly first at the pathology of the problem and then how to cure it. The PA
searches for disruptions in the pathophysiology of the body and focuses on the
biological aspects of diagnosing and treating the disease.
o PAs train as generalists, which means they can practice almost any field in medicine -
meaning you can switch throughout career without need for re-certification
o Opposite to that, NP programs concentrate on a focus of a certain patient population
o NPs receive primary certification in their specialty area
o PAs take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE)- practice under
supervision of a licensed physician
What do PAs do? - Response o Under supervision and delegation from MD
o Allows MD to perform more complex and acute cases
o PA deals with a lot of common illnesses, diagnoses, treatment, patient education
o Creating more access to healthcare, cost-effective care
o Take medical histories, do physical exams, diagnose and treat illness, order and
interpret tests, develop treatment plans, prescribe medications, counsel on
preventative care, perform procedures-assist in surgery-make rounds in hospitals and
nursing homes-do clinical research
o Over 140,000 PAs who practice in every medical setting in US
o They work in hospitals, medical offices, community health centers, nursing homes,
retail clinics, educational facilities, workplace clinics, and correctional institutions
Why do you want to be a PA? - Answer o collaborative healthcare, my values, my skills-
(look up mission statement of MCPHS)- how do I hold these values and priorities
(ADD to this)
Massachusetts- regulations of profession - Answer o Medication prescriptions: Any
person holding a license may issue written or oral prescriptions or medication orders
for a patient
o Any prescription or medication order issued by a PA for a Schedule 2 controlled
substance shall be reviewed by his or her supervising physician, or by a temporary
supervising physician