Physician Assistant

Suggested Databases

CINAHL(1982-present) Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature: indexes books, journals and dissertations in nursing, physical therapy, medical technology and allied health areas. Covers the key Physician Assistant professional journals. Please click here to view Drexel University Libraries’ CINAHL video tutorial.
Cochrane Library A collection of databases that contain high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. Cochrane Reviews represent the highest level of evidence on which to base clinical treatment decisions. In addition to Cochrane Reviews, The Cochrane Library provides other sources of reliable information: other systematic reviews abstracts, technology assessments, economic evaluations, and individual clinical trials all the current evidence in one single environment.
Dynamed A clinical reference tool created for use primarily at the point-of-care, providing clinically-organized summaries for more than 3,000 topics. DynaMed is updated daily and monitors the content of over 500 medical journals and systematic evidence review databases directly and indirectly by using many journal review services.
Exam Master Online A database of sample medical exam questions has a section for the PANCE. Registration required for access. Upon registration, please use individual username / password for access.
HAPI (Health and Psychosocial Instruments) (1985-present) Provides information on measurement instruments (questionnaires, etc.) for the health and psychosocial sciences, organizational behavior, and library and information science.
MEDLINE (via PubMed and OVID) — MEDLINE is the premier database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It contains over 20 million records of journal articles in all areas of the life sciences, with particular emphasis on biomedicine.
- MEDLINE via PubMed
- MEDLINE via OVID
Primal Pictures-Includes Interactive Functional Anatomy and Complete Human Anatomy -- both are 3D interactive human models. Enable pop-ups for optimal viewing.
ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source (1982-current) Covers a wide range of topics, including nursing, allied health, alternative therapies, biomedicine, consumer health and health administration.
P sycINF O (1806-present) Indexes books, dissertations, and journals in the psychological and behavioral sciences.
RefWorks Allows users to format their citations and papers into a particular format, export or manually add references into RefWorks, and share their references or entire database. Users must create a RefWorks account. Write-N-Cite, an application that must be downloaded, enables users to insert in text citations from their references into their papers. When using Write-N-Cite from off-campus, enter RWDrexelU as the Group Code, in addition to the RefWorks account login. The Group Code is case sensitive. Please click here to view Drexel University Libraries’ RefWorks video tutorial.

Journals

(Check catalog for print journals; for a comprehensive list, search “physician assistants periodicals” as a Subject). Also see the alphabetic listings of Electronic Journals.

Get It! Linking is provided from citations in databases such as CINAHL and MEDLINE to the Libraries’ journal collections; look for Get It! button. Get It! window will display options for obtaining the full-text of an article, including fulltext choices, possible print volumes available in library, or use on Interlibrary Loan services.

Electronic Texts and Reference Resources

Also see the listing of selected Health Sciences electronic books.

Selected Web Resources

Academic and Professional Associations

American Academy of Nephrology Physician Assistants (AANPA) The AANPA supports the "professional growth, development, training, education, and networking of physician assistants within the specialty of nephrology."
American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) The main organization for PAs offers an extensive website filled with important resources. The website includes an events calendar, professional issues section, and licensing information.
American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants (AASPA) The AASPA is the oldest specialty organization for PAs. The website includes employment opportunities, CME, information on PA residencies, and links.
Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants (AFPPA) The mission of the AFPPA is to "foster the educational and professional interests of Family Practice Physician Assistants by promoting clinical and academic excellence and providing a forum for assembling and distributing information" for PAs. The website includes, a mentor list, conferences information, and an extensive link library.
Association of Neurosurgical Physician Assistants (ANSPA) The ANSPA "highlights the concept of the Physician Assistant in the medical community, specifically in the subspecialties of neurological surgery and neurology. It also promotes, develops, and maintains liaison relationship with physician specialty organizations - American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons."
Association of Physician Assistants in Cardiovascular Surgery (APACVS) The APACVS has over 700 members and is recognized and endorsed by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American Association for Thoracic Surgeons. The website includes a career center, information on scholarships and a fellowship program, and Heartcall, a discussion board.
Association of Physicians Assistants in Obstetrics and Gynecology (APAOG) APAOG's mission is to "improve the health care of women by supporting physician/PA teams who provide cost effective, quality care to female patients and by promoting a network of communication and education between providers dedicated to women's health." In addition to CME opportunities and clinical resources, the website has a special section for students.
Canadian Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA) The main association for physician assistants in Canada has information on certification, employment opportunities, and the latest news.
Gastroenterology Physician Assistants (GIPA) Founded in 2000, GIPA represents PAs in gastroenterology and hepatology. It provides professional practice resources such as census information about gastroenterology PAs, links, and job opportunities.
National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) The official organization for certifying PAs walks PAs thorugh the initial certification process, has information on the PANCE, PANRE, and the Pathway II. There is also information on CME and re-certification.
Naval Association of Physician Assistants (NAPA) Founded in 1974, NAPA is "devoted to educating the public about the PA profession, seeking legislative and governmental policy changes regarding PAs, and informing those in the profession about national Navy issues.
Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) The only national organization representing PA educational programs in the United States, PAEA contains information for both faculty and students. The website has an interactive map of PA programs in the United States and archives of the PAEA Networker, a monthly web-based newsletter. The PAEA Research Institute homepage provides information for AEA faculty and member programs to learn about research activities within and outside of the association. There is also a link to the Pi Alpha Honor Society, the national honor society for physician assistants.
Physician Assistants in Orthopaedic Surgery (PAOS) PAOS is "dedicated to providing high quality programs to support its members in achieving a high level of knowledge in musculoskeletal health care through the physician/physician assistant team concept." The website has links to relevant orthopedic websites, legislative updates, and job opportunities.
Society of Air Force Physician Assistants (SAFPA) SAFPA "serves the needs of active duty, retired, and reserve Air Force physician assistants.
Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants (SPDA) With over 1200 members, SPDA provides information to both PAs and dermatologists. PAs can connect through a discussion forum while dermatologists can learn about the role of PAs.
Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants (SEMPA) Founded in 1990, SEMPA works closely with the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the American College of Emergency Physicians. The website provides resources for students, guidelines for the utilization of EMPAs, and recommended references.
Society of Physician Assistants in Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery (SPAO-HNS) Founded in 1991,SPAO-HNS is recognized by the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery (AAO). In addition to links and employment opportunities, the website has statistics of in-office procedures performed by ENT PAs in 2003.
Society of Physician Assistants in Rheumatology (SPAR) SPAR's mission is to enhance the health and well being of the people with rheumatological disorders through the representation and advancement of the Physician-PA Team. SPAR has CME, professional practice resources, and links.
Veterans Caucus of the AAPA The Veteran Caucus represents over 7,500 PAs who are veterans of the Armed Forces. A historical timeline of the caucus and scholarship information is included on the website.

State Associations and Boards

Other Resources

AdvancedPracticeJobs.com A site specifically designed to address the employment needs of physician assistants, nurse practitioners, certified nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists.
Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine The tutorial can either be viewed with a Flash plug-in or can be downloaded onto a computer.
PA Forum This resource offers message boards on topics such as becoming a physician assistant, programs, and free classifieds with job listings. Free registration is required.
PA Job Link The AAPA's official job center includes jobs from all specialties. PAs can register for job alerts and post their resumes.
Physician Assistant History Center Provides information on the study, preservation, and presentation of PA history.
PhysicianAssistantJobs.com Includes job listings, resume help, and salary information.

Directories Google: Health >Professions>Physician Assistant Yahoo! Health>Medicine>Physician Assistant Page maintained by Gary M. Childs, MS

Content Editor: Gary Childs
Last Updated: 10/31/2012

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