[fancyketchup]

> You can't book an appointment with most of these directly, and not all of them can write prescriptions legally.

So I think that varies from state to state.

[Anecdote warning] When I was in grad school, at least, I was able to directly book appointments at the student health center with PAs, MDs and DOs (perhaps a university-run health center is different, somehow?). I also don't recall ever facing difficulty having a prescription written.

My understanding is that a PAs can't open their own practice, but that several PAs can function more or less independently under the supervision of one MD/DO principal.