Mid Atlantic Surgical Associates (MASA) has a staff of seven Physician Assistants, all of whom are graduates of accredited Physician Assistant Programs and are licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners. They have credentials and privileges, under the supervision of MASA surgeons, to perform all procedures that are involved in the care of open heart surgical patients. Their specialized training permits them to actively participate in the medical and surgical management of these patients. They perform history and physical examinations, coordinate pre-operative and post-operative care in the open heart recovery room and floor units, and participate in discharge planning. MASA Physician Assistants play a critical role in assisting MASA surgeons in the operating room with all open heart and thoracic procedures including coronary artery bypass grafting, valvular, and aortic surgery. MASA Physician Assistants have enormous clinical experience, having collectively assisted in over 15,000 open heart procedures. They are, additionally, skilled at several different techniques of minimally invasive vein harvesting.