Roderick S. Hooker is a health policy analyst and a retired US Coast Guard Reserve PA. The author has disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
JAAPA. 2020 Nov;33(11):43-46. doi: 10.1097/01.JAA.0000718296.85114.54.
The US Coast Guard is a military service in the Department of Homeland Security charged with broad domestic and international missions. In 1971, the Coast Guard began recruiting physician assistants (PAs) in an effort to supplement physician staffing support. When first introduced, PAs were in the enlisted ranks. However, consistent with the other armed services, their entry ranks changed from enlisted to commissioned warrant officer and later to a commissioned officer status. As their numbers grew, PAs began augmenting and later replacing general medical officers assigned to treatment facilities and aboard ships. Their role is to keep the 43,000 men and women of the Coast Guard and their dependents healthy by providing medical care at 40 bases and stations. As of 2020, the Coast Guard has 47 commissioned PAs who work on shore postings, on polar-bound ice breakers, training ships, as faculty in the Interservice Physician Assistant Program, or as senior administrative officers. About one-third are female.
美国海岸警卫队是国土安全部的一个军事部门，负责广泛的国内和国际任务。1971 年，海岸警卫队开始招募医师助理（PA），以补充医生人员配备的支持。最初引入时，PA 是在 enlisted ranks（入伍）。然而，与其他武装部队一致，他们的入伍级别从 enlisted（入伍）改为 commissioned warrant officer（委任准尉），后来又改为 commissioned officer（委任军官）。随着人数的增加，PA 开始增派并最终取代派往治疗设施和船上的普通医务人员。他们的任务是通过在 40 个基地和站提供医疗服务，保持海岸警卫队的 43000 名男女及其家属的健康。截至 2020 年，海岸警卫队有 47 名委任的 PA，他们在岸上岗位、极地破冰船、训练舰、在军种间医师助理计划中担任教职，或担任高级行政官员。大约三分之一是女性。
