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Non Physician Practitioners

Physician Assistants

Our Physician Assistants play an important role here at France Avenue Family Physicians.

Suzanne Runkel and Ellie Young, our Physician Assistants are valuable members of our team.

Physician Assistants are not physicians, nor are they in the process of becoming physicians.  They are known as mid-level providers, and are recognized health care professionals. Their education and clinical experience enables them to offer a broad range of services to patients, always under the supervision of a licensed physicians.

You should see our Physician Assistant for things such as:

• Well child exams
• School/Sports physical exams
• Routine health evaluations
• Annual pap smear exam
• Diagnosing and managing common illnesses and injuries
• Patient education
• Monitoring of chronic diseases

Physician Assistants graduate from an accredited PA program, usually three years in length.  This includes       9 - 12 months of classroom study and 12 - 15 months of supervised clinical experience.  Prior to attending their Physician Assistant training, PA's have completed a four-year bachelor's degree.

All PA's receive certification after passing an examination developed by the National Commission on the certification of Physician Assistants.  They maintain their certification by earning 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years, and by passing a re-certification exam every six years.

Physician consultation is available to the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Asssistant at all times.