This timely and well written paperback, authored by icons in the PA world Dr. Tom Piemme, Dr Fred Sadler, Dr Reggie Carter, and Ms. Ruth Ballweg, is presented through the PA History Society and presents a half century of history of the PA profession in a very convenient and easy to read format.
The book is structured around the “Timeline” that is the major feature of the PA History website and is accompanied by abstracted biographies of key leaders through the decades, and illustrations from the history archives. This information by itself is worth the price.
An opening chapter puts the early history of the profession in the context of its time, while a closing discussion anticipates the future of the profession. The authors offers a concise history of the people, places, and events that have propelled the concept of the PA from its inception at Duke University in 1965 to its position as one of the major forces in American medicine today. It is one of those books that once you start reading you can’t put down until the end.
The book is intended, of course, for practicing PAs, but it will also serve PA programs as a useful companion to courses of instruction in the history of the profession for PA students. It will be of interest, as well, to pre-health/medical students considering the PA as a career. My understanding is that the demand for this new book has been so great they are already considering a second printing.
The book is available through the PA History Society for $12 each plus packaging and shipping. The price drops to $10 for orders of 15 or more. It can also be obtained over the Internet from Amazon.