04/30/2025

Changing Titles, Changing Minds: Tackling Misconceptions in Medicine

My uncle recently asked, “𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐃𝐎 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝟒𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥-𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞?”

That opened the door for a great conversation about how outdated perceptions can linger long after a profession has evolved and how the title physician assistant no longer reflects the training, responsibilities, or value that PAs bring to modern healthcare.

I shared that I’ve worked with many excellent physicians, both MDs and DOs, and that my own family physician is a DO. I also pointed out that the physicians for the past two U.S. Presidents were DOs.

DOs (Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine) and MDs (Doctors of Medicine) are both fully licensed physicians. They’re trained to diagnose, treat, prescribe, and perform surgery in all 50 states. Though their medical education has some philosophical differences, they are equals in every clinical and legal sense. It took decades of advocacy and education to achieve that recognition. In fact, the American Medical Association once opposed DOs joining mainstream medicine. But as DOs proved their skill and training, public perception changed, thanks to sustained advocacy.

This is exactly why the physician assistant profession is working to modernize its title to physician associate.

Similar to DOs, PAs face misunderstanding because of a name that no longer reflects our training or scope. Some critics claim the change will confuse patients or signal a push for independence. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞.

According to the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), the title change is not tied to changes in scope of practice or independence. In fact, AAPA research shows patients already misunderstand the role and that changing the title actually improves clarity. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒔. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.

Professional identity matters. So does clarity for patients, for policymakers, and for future PAs.

Read more about title change here: https://www.aapa.org/advocacy-central/title-change/

Matthew Freado, MBA, PA-C, is the Immediate Past President and Government Affairs Committee Chair of the Ohio Association of Physician Assistants.

The Government Affairs Committee supports the profession through advancing PA legislative priorities and removing barriers to practice. If you have experienced practice limitations that impact your ability to provide care, please complete this form to share your story.