PAs want a new name and more power. Not everyone is happy.

If you wind up at an urgent care center in America, it's increasingly likely you will be treated by a P.A. For a long time, P.A. meant the same thing everywhere: 'physician assistant,' a licensed medical professional who can perform patient care, including prescribing medicine, under the supervision of a doctor. But that might be changing. In Oregon, New Hampshire and Maine, P.A. now means 'physician associate,' and other states may follow this year. 'Assistant' versus 'associate' might sound like a trivial semantic debate, but to many practitioners, and to the American Academy of Physician Associates (which changed its own name in 2021), it's an important part of the expanding role of P.A.s in healthcare. 'Assistant' versus 'associate' might sound like a trivial semantic debate, but to many practitioners, and to the American Academy of Physician Associates (which changed its own name in 2021), it's an important part of the expanding role of P.A.s in healthcare.  'If it's ‘physician assistant,' even the patient thinks, OK, if you're just assisting, then when's the real provider going to get here?' said Chantell Taylor, chief of public affairs and advocacy for the A.A.P.A. Since 2000, the number of P.A.s has quadrupled, while many parts of the country face a shortage of doctors. That means P.A.s are becoming more numerous — and visible — in all fields of medicine, from primary care to dermatology. And along with the name change, they are seeking the ability to operate more independently from doctors. Not everyone is happy. The American Medical Association, which represents doctors, has called the name change a 'branding effort' that will only confuse patients. The A.A.P.A. says the A.M.A. is 'fearmongering' over bills being proposed in several states. What's in a name, it turns out, is a lot. 'We have a shortage of doctors and of highly trained professionals,' said Rob Kupec, a Democratic state senator from Minnesota who is pushing for the name change in his state. 'There are people that have, maybe, not the same level of education, but have the ability to do some of these things.' While the number of medical doctors since 2000 has increased about 40 percent, the number of P.A.s has grown far more steeply.