Special ArticleFrom feldschers to physician assistants in BulgariaVracheva, Penka Petkova MHAAuthor Information Penka Petkova Vracheva is on the medical faculty at Trakia University in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. The author has disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise. Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants: August 2017 - Volume 30 - Issue 8 - p 45-46 doi: 10.1097/01.JAA.0000521139.61409.4d Buy Metrics Abstract The physician assistant (PA) profession was established in Bulgaria in 2014 in response to a growing shortage of medical staff and was modeled on the United States experience. Feldschers provided a similar role in Bulgaria from 1878 to 1999 but feldscher training was discontinued in 1999 because of a physician surplus. However, healthcare in Bulgaria changed after the country joined the European Union, and some physicians left for better opportunities elsewhere. The loss of physicians and an aging population meant that PAs were seen as a strategy to offset Bulgaria's growing healthcare demand. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Physician Assistants
