The medical field is one of the largest and ever-growing career fields, especially when it comes to physician assistants (PAs) and nurses practitioners (IP). In the 1960s, when the physician shortage began, the medical field created PA and NP positions to fill the gaps (Curren, 2007, p. 404). This topic raises many questions as more PAs and NPs begin practicing, especially regarding their level of education. Many patients fear they will not receive appropriate care. PA/NPs benefit daily life by providing patients with the skills needed to treat them successfully.Current ResearchHow the Program Got StartedWhen the Physician Assistant (PA) and Nurse Practitioner (NP) Early Career Fields began, the training was very different from what it is today. In the 1960s, when the first wave of physician shortages hit the United States, doctors scrambled to fill the gaps. The medical field has been looking for ways to fill the gaps by providing the best possible options. Jill Curren (2007), a nurse practitioner, points out that this meant they needed highly certified healthcare professionals who could do the job of a doctor, but these healthcare professionals had to be trained in half the time of time it took to become a doctor. (p. 404). Doctors working at Duke University began to notice a trend among combat medics. Many doctors and medics who served in Vietnam had little or no medical training, and most of their medical training took place in the field. The PA program was therefore born with its military roots. “They started the first PA training program, training these doctors in the same way middle of paper doctors......were raining down for specialty practices. Two-thirds of today’s PAs work in specialty care. This therefore leaves NPs working in general medicine (p. 828). Woolsey and Cutter (n.d.) appear to have a different view, stating that “PAs are generalists while NPs can be [specialists or generalists] depending on the area of ​​medicine they practice” (para. 5). They go on to explain that PAs are trained to generalize, so they can move from one area to another (Woolsey & Cutter, nd, para.5). PAs have the ability to specialize if they complete a residency program, but it is important to note that a PA is still considered a generalist whether or not they have specialized (Woolsey & Cutter, n.d., para .5). Woolsey and Cutter (nd) then note that NPs are often required to hold national certification in a nursing specialty before they can practice in a specialty (e.g...5).