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The first physician assistant training program was developed by Dr. Eugene Stead at Duke University in the mid-1960's. He proposed the development of a group of healthcare workers to ease the country's provider shortage in rural communities by applying the skills and experience of thousands of ex-military corpsmen. Just as medical students during WWII filled a critical need at understaffed state-side hospitals, former Vietnam-era corpsmen, with additional training, could be a valuable resource and benefit to under served parts of the country. 

The concept caught on and several programs were started throughout the country; one of the first was at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Of the five thousand applicants to its first program, Wesley Strevel, a former Navy corpsman, was "waiting listed" as an alternate for the twenty open slots. Wes went on to acquire his physician assistant training at the Albany Medical Center in New York.

Eventually the program evolved into a two-year Physician Assistant Certificate program. Many of the attendees had college degrees but, most importantly, a significant medical background was required.  The first year focused on academics (studies in anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and biochemistry) and learning the skill of doing a good history and physical. During the second year, PA-C students would apprentice at a major medical facility under interns and residents and finish up with a two-day board exam. The graduate PA-C is required to undertake 100 hours of continuing education every 2 years and take a one day exam to remain board certified every six years. Today, most programs have evolved into a Masters degree program, but the basic concept remains the same.