Description

Physician assistants and midwives provide primary health care and treatment in conjunction with physicians and in collaboration with other health professionals. Physician assistants provide a range of health services to patients delivering preventive and continuous care toward the management of patients’ health. Midwives provide full-course care to women and their babies during the pre- and post-natal period. This unit group also includes professionals, such as genetic counsellors, orthoptists and pathologists’ assistants, who work in collaboration with primary health occupations. Genetic counsellors assess individual or family risk of genetic conditions, and provide information to individuals, families and healthcare providers to promote informed choice. Orthoptists diagnose and treat binocular disorders. Pathologists’ assistants assist at autopsies and examinations of surgical specimens, or perform autopsies under a pathologist’s supervision. Physician assistants usually work under physicians in private practice, including group or team practices, hospitals and clinics. Midwives are employed in hospitals, clinics, birthing centres or in private practice. Genetic counsellors usually work in private practice, hospitals, clinics and research institutes. Orthoptists work under an ophthalmologist, particularly in private practices or clinics. Pathologists’ assistants are usually employed in hospitals and universities.

Job Titles

• Physician assistant

Main Duties

• Conduct patient interviews, physical assessments and take medical histories
• Perform or order diagnostic tests and interpret results
• In consultation with a supervising physician, formulate and implement treatment plans and monitor patients’ progress
• Perform and assist in minor surgery
• Provide health maintenance education
• May participate in research activities
• May prescribe from a limited list of medications.

Workplaces

• Clinics
• Hospitals
• Private practice, including group or team practices

Skills

• Oral Communication: Oral Comprehension
• Social Perceptiveness
• Coordinating
• Critical Thinking
• Decision Making

Abilities

• Problem Identification
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Categorization Flexibility
• Deductive Reasoning
• Fluency of Ideas

Personal Attributes

• Attention to Detail
• Collaboration
• Concern for Others
• Service Orientation
• Stress Tolerance

Similar Occupations

• Managers in health care (30010)
• Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine (31100)
• Specialists in surgery (31101)
• General practitioners and family physicians (31102)
• Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating (31209)
• Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301)
• Nurse practitioners (31302)
• Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists (32200)
• Other practitioners of natural healing (32209)

Source: OaSIS