Hence physician assistants. Stanford's program takes 1.5 years post ba. They can do most/all of what doctors and surgeons can do, but they may require a docto

Hence physician assistants. Stanford's program takes 1.5 years post ba. They can do most/all of what doctors and surgeons can do, but they may require a doctor to sign off on what they do; this varies by state. See http://www.princetonreview.com/Careers.aspx?cid=181 http://www.princetonreview.com/Careers.aspx?cid=181 I'd bet that for a good chunk of what a general doctor does -- yup your ear is infected, here's an antibiotic; your wrist sure is broken, let me cast it; it hurts to pee -- uti or std; a full md is overkill. Living in SF, my gf who has had less complicated medical issues than me primarily sees a PA at One Medical Group, who by the way I would recommend. I recently tore ligaments in my ankle and broke my tibia plus fibula; even my orthopaedic surgeon has PAs helping her maximize efficiency.