The PA profession in Liberia: A case study in pioneering innovation and resiliency.
JAAPA
; 35(10): 56-61, 2022 Oct 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2274850
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT In Liberia, the physician assistant (PA) profession began in the mid-1960s. PAs have had a major role in providing access to healthcare for patients, many of whom live in poverty and reside in remote areas where access to physicians may be severely limited. In 1964, representatives from UNICEF selected Agnes N. Dagbe, MS, RN, to be the first director of a new PA program to be developed at the Tubman National Institute of Medical Arts. Dagbe was sent to Russia to learn about their feldsher profession, which served as a significant source of inspiration for the newly emerging PA profession in Liberia. To date, Liberia has faced extreme shortages of physicians, the ravages of two brutal civil wars over a 14-year period (1989-2003), as well as outbreaks of the Ebola and COVID-19 viruses. Now, more than 54 years since the first class graduated, PAs are vital for the delivery of essential healthcare services for the citizens of Liberia.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Physician Assistants
/
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Case report
/
Observational study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
English
Journal:
JAAPA
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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