Physician Assistant Mock Interview
Master 40 Physician Assistant interview questions covering clinical scenarios, patient care, and medical decision-making.
Question 21 of 40
What is a dependent practitioner, and how do you feel about practicing as one?
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Community Answers
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
As a physician assistant, you are, by definition, a dependent practitioner. You rely on your supervising physician to make decisions about your patients. Many PAs are given the liberty to handle a variety of situations with patients, making recommendations similar to a doctor. However, ultimately you will be referring to the doctor on final decisions. Let the interviewer know how you feel about practicing as a dependent practitioner.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"I appreciate that I can rely on my supervising doctor for support when treating patients. I respect the wealth of knowledge they bring to the table and value my relationship with them. I'm excited about my influence as a physician assistant because even though I'm dependent upon the doctor's final say in many situations, I still have some of the same freedoms to treat patients."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"To me, a dependent practitioner is a medical professional who still works under the supervision of a physician. I feel very prepared to work as a dependent practitioner. My education and practicum have both prepared me for the opportunity."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"I have been a dependent practitioner for twelve years now, working with the same two physicians my entire career. I have felt that, as a dependent practitioner, I have been given incredible opportunities to work with brilliant minds in the healthcare industry. I look forward to continuing my PA career with your facility."
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Jaymie
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Anonymous Answer
A dependent practitioner is someone who works on a team with a physician as a supervised practitioner. I am excited to work as a dependent practitioner with the XYZ team. I am expecting the practice agreement to be a progressive document that with expand with my increased knowledge and skills.
Rachelle's Feedback
Great answer!
Anonymous Answer
A dependent practitioner is someone that works under supervision or in collaboration with a doctor. I am extremely excited to take on this opportunity and work with brilliant minds and gain a new perspective on various topics. I love to learn! I have worked as a medical assistant with NPs, PAs, and doctors, and as a CNA under the supervision of nurses. I love having a team that I can count on.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your passion shines through in this response! It's great how your answer came to life, showing just how eager you are for this type of opportunity.
Anonymous Answer
A dependent practitioner means you practice under the supervision of an MD. I think collaboration in healthcare is very important because you are ultimately making decisions that impact others' health outcomes. Even though you are practicing under an MD, you still have autonomy in situations you are trained in, and confident to address. However, I very much like the idea of being a dependent practitioner, because I will always have the opportunity to collaborate with an MD if I want a second opinion on the best solution for a positive outcome for a patient.
Rachelle's Feedback
You sound highly collaborative with an interest in learning and growing while leaning on the support of a MD. Great response!
Anonymous Answer
A dependent practitioner, in this case, a PA, is a provider who can work under the supervision of a physician. However, in some states, PA's are now considered independent providers no longer needing a supervising physician.
Rachelle's Feedback
You are well versed in legislation in your region, which is fantastic to see! The interviewer may then want to know - how do you feel about the ability to practice as an independent provider in your state?
Anonymous Answer
I am very happy and comfortable with the idea of working as a dependent practitioner.
As a Physician Associate, we are often given the liberty to handle a variety of patients, making similar recommendations as a doctor.
Rachelle's Feedback
It sure sounds like you are confident - a quality that any interviewer should be happy to see. With multi-part questions, be sure to address them wholly. For instance, the first part of this question should be answered more directly.
Anonymous Answer
A dependent practitioner, like PA, is a person who works under the supervision of a licensed MD. I feel very comfortable reporting to the physician who will have the final say in the management of my patient. The patient is always the center of what we do and a good collaboration, where everyone knows the limits of his role, will end up with a positive outcome on our patients.
Stephanie's Feedback
Great response! This shows your openness to feedback and collaboration.
Anonymous Answer
My understanding of a dependent practitioner is that they are someone who is trained at a professional level in medicine, but still practices under the license of an attending physician. As a new graduate PA, I am comforted by this and look forward to learning from attending physicians and growing my medical knowledge.
Jaymie's Feedback
Excellent job demonstrating your knowledge of the topic and your comfort level being a dependent practitioner.
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