From Feldshers to Force Health Protection: A History of Navy Physician Associates
BLUF – The article traces the evolution of the Navy physician associate profession from its early inspiration by Russian “feldshers” in the early 1900s through the formal establishment of the Navy Physician Assistant Program in the 1970s, highlighting how former Hospital Corpsmen have become an essential component of operational and clinical medicine across the Fleet and Marine Corps. For Navy Medicine, the history underscores the enduring value of physician associates in expanding access to high-quality care, enhancing operational medical readiness, and providing versatile clinical leadership in deployed, expeditionary, and military treatment facility settings.