PA Ideological Era (1961-1965)

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12 Items

Last Updated: 2025-01-08

The physician assistant (PA) profession emerged in the mid-1960s as a social innovation to help physicians meet a growing demand for health care services. After the Second World War, the United States began educating more medical and surgical specialist than generalist physicians. Access to primary health services became limited at a time of growing social unrest that proclaimed health care as a right of all citizens. Some physicians began training their own “assistants” to help with the work load. States passed laws to allow them to delegate medical task to these proprietary trained assistants. Dr. Charles Hudson challenged the American Medical Association (AMA) to create and support the training of a new health professional that could be educated in less time, at less expense and be deployed rapidly to assist overworked physicians, especially in primary care practices. The idea of using non-physicians to provide medical services was not new; examples included the use of corpsman and medics in the military and the use of Feldshers in Russia and Barefoot Doctors in China.

Parent Collections (1)

PAHx Digital Repository

Total Works (12)

List of items in this collection
	Title	Date Created
	The Physician's Assistant A working paper dated July 1, 1964 written by Dr. Eugene A. Stead, Jr. describing the need for physician's assistants. He states the minimum... This work also belongs to: PAHx Digital Repository	["July 1, 1964"]
	Correspondence from Freeman to Stead and Stead to Freeman regarding starting Physician's Assistant Training Program at Duke University - Correspondence: Freeman to Stead and Stead to Freeman Dr. Ruth Freeman, Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health writes Dr. Eugene Stead, Jr. a letter dated October 13, 1964... This work also belongs to: PAHx Digital Repository	["October, 1964"]
	Physician's Assistant Program: Ad Hoc committee report This is the report of an ad hoc committee appointed by Dr. Barnes Woodhall, Vice Provost, Duke University to evaluate "programs within the Medical... This work also belongs to: PAHx Digital Repository	["May, 1965"]
	Starting Physician's Assistant Training Program at Duke University - 1964 Correspondence: Stead to Finkelstein and Stead to Ballentine Letters from Eugene A. Stead, Jr. dated August 18, 1964, to Dr. Elliot Finkelstein, US Public Health Service and September 24, 1964 to Mr. Robert... This work also belongs to: PAHx Digital Repository	["1964"]
	Correspondence from Eugene Stead to Barnes Woodhall regarding starting Physician's Assistant Training Program at Duke University - Correspondence: Stead to Woodhall Memorandum dated March 23, 1965 from Dr. Eugene A. Stead, Jr. to Dr. Barnes Woodhall, Vice Provost for Medical Affairs at Duke University, stating... This work also belongs to: PAHx Digital Repository	["March 23, 1965"]
	Correspondence from Eugene Stead to Everett Hopkins regarding starting a Physician's Assistant Training Program at Duke University - Correspondence: Stead to Hopkins A 1964 letter from Eugene A. Stead, Jr. to Everett Hopkins, Vice President for Planning and Institutional Studies at Duke University stating that... This work also belongs to: PAHx Digital Repository	["August 21, 1964"]
	Starting Physician's Assistant Training Program at Duke University - Internal Correspondence: Stead to Frenzel A 1964 letter from Eugene A. Stead, Jr. to Charles H. Frenzel at Duke Hospital expressing desire to meet to discuss establishing an educational... This work also belongs to: PAHx Digital Repository	["April 21, 1964"]
	Minutes of the Hyperbaric Operating Committee [Duke University]; March 30, 1965 These minutes of the Hyperbaric Operating Committee, Duke University Medical Center, dated March 30, 1965 make reference to two recently awarded... This work also belongs to: PAHx Digital Repository	["March 30, 1965"]
	Hyperbaric training grants [Duke University] - Correspondence: Satlzman to Woodhall, et.al. This letter from Dr. Herbert A. Saltzman, director of Hyperbaric Medicine, Duke University dated March 15, 1965 to Dr. Woodhall and other Duke... This work also belongs to: PAHx Digital Repository	["March 15, 1965"]
	Minutes of the Hyperbaric Operating Committee [Duke University]; 4 October 1965 These minutes of the Hyperbaric Operating Committee, Duke University Medical Center, dated October 4, 1965 states that the "formal portion of the... This work also belongs to: PAHx Digital Repository	["October 4, 1965"]