Physician assistants (PAs) provide medical care to patients under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. In practice, PAs perform a large percentage of the same care patients receive when they visit a doctor, including taking histories, performing physical exams, ordering labs and diagnostic studies, making initial diagnoses and formulating treatment plans, prescribing medication, performing procedures, and assisting in surgery. PAs may specialize in any area of medicine or surgery and enjoy lateral mobility, meaning that they may move from specialty to specialty without additional formal training. LIU Brooklyn's Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program was the first in the region to be approved by the New York State Education Department. Successful completion of the program enables the candidate to register as a physician assistant and to sit for the National Certifying Examination administered by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).