What is the scope of practice of a PA?
Article 4 of the Committee’s regulations addresses PA practice. You may want to review Title 16, California Code of Regulations sections 1399.540 through 1399.546 for information on the supervision of PAs. The scope of a given PA’s practice is limited by his/her supervising physician. Whatever medical specialty a physician practices (e.g., general practice, cardio-thoracic surgery, dermatology, etc.) limits the PA’s scope of practice. The Delegation of Services Agreement between the PA and the supervising physician then further defines exactly what tasks and procedures a physician is delegating to the PA. These tasks and procedures must be consistent with the supervising physician’s specialty or usual and customary practice and with the patient’s health and condition. Before authorizing a PA to perform any medical procedure, the physician is responsible for evaluating the PA’s education, experience, knowledge, and ability to perform the procedure safely and competently. In addition, th
