ABSTRACT
This article describes the history of physician assistants (PAs) in Mississippi, the last state to pass legislation allowing for PA practice. A small group of PAs in the state began pursuing a PA practice act in the early 1990s with little political advocacy experience, and in 1994, the American Academy of PAs actively joined "The Battle for Mississippi." In April 2000, after years of PA advocacy, Mississippi passed the bill that would authorize PA practice in the state.
Subject(s)
Physician Assistants/legislation & jurisprudence , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Humans , Mississippi , Physician Assistants/historyABSTRACT
This article gives the first-hand perspectives of three physician assistants (PAs) involved in the profession's years of struggle to gain practice authority in Mississippi. Through a series of questions and answers, each PA describes his or her part in the historical events that made Mississippi the final US state to regulate PAs.
