1 Dissatisfaction with the name
physician assistant dates back at least 3 decades and remains a polarizing issue.
2 The most recent examination of a PA title change began in 2018, when the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) Board of Directors selected a national branding firm, WPP, to conduct an independent investigation of a PA name change and possible alternative titles.
3 AAPA and its legal counsel contributed to the investigation, and in November 2020, a final report (authored by WPP and AAPA), was presented to a meeting of the AAPA House of Delegates (HOD). In the report, WPP recommended a change to the title
medical care practitioner (MCP).