physician assistant

noun

: a person certified to provide basic medical services usually under the supervision of a licensed physician

called also PA, physician's assistant

Examples of physician assistant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Acute primary care shortages California’s lack of primary care providers, including doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, is most acute in rural parts of the state, particularly in the north and the Central Valley. —Bernard J. Wolfson and Vanessa G. Sánchez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Six nurses and physician assistants also served as specialty background players throughout production. —Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025

The rise of advanced practice providers (APPs), like nurse practitioners and physician assistants, are also easing the pressure in some specialties. —Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Apr. 2025

In a video shared by the NFL's official Instagram account, the 28-year-old NFL star got down on one knee after the Commanders secured their win, and the physician assistant accepted in front of the crowd. —Athena Sobhan, People.com, 20 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for physician assistant

• coexistent
• equidistant
• inconsistent
• nonexistent
• preexistent
• consistent
• existent
• insistent
• persistent
• resistant
• subsistent
• distant

Medical Definition

physician assistant

noun

physician as·​sis·​tant

-ə-ˈsis-tənt

variants also physician's assistant

: a specially trained person who is certified to provide basic medical services (as the diagnosis and treatment of common ailments) usually under the supervision of a licensed physician

called also PA