Art and creativity are inseparable. They are intimately connected. In no way is it creative to simply funnel patients through, check off labs, reorder the same prescriptions, and set up the same follow-ups. But this is what can happen when a rushed internist or family medicine physician assistant sees 30 patients a day. The practice…
Category Archives: Physician Assistant
Why are Herbal Medicines important to NPs and PAs?
Today the largest majority of Americans are taking some type of herbal medications. They have followed the Pied Piper wherever he has marched, in streets, on ad boards, in magazines and journals, on TV and radio ads, on net sites, observing the comments of famous musicians and actors, from providers of health care, there is nowhere that this modality has not been spoken of.
Anaphylaxis: Treating A Potential Killer
Anaphylaxis is more than a medical term, but is a life changer and a very real medical emergency. I cringe when I consider that some of my colleagues have given a kid an injection of penicillin and have not waited 30 minutes for the possibility of a reaction. I saw my sister have this reaction when I was a kid, and her angioedema made her look like a Jack-o-lantern on Halloween night. She was fortunately brought to the hospital immediately and she responded to the epinephrine. It is important for us to consider the collateral damage done to the parents and siblings of someone that has an anaphylactic reaction to a medication or shellfish, iodine or any other agent including middle and upper aged people placed on an Ace inhibitor.
The Surgeon General’s Visit: A Reflection
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin honored the PA profession last week by speaking at the Yale Physician Associate Program’s graduation ceremony. In her speech, Dr. Benjamin encouraged students to view patients as complete people and consider all of the obstacles they face. She recalled individual patients throughout her career and their complicated social issues….
NEW Links Libraries
Some say we live in the information age. I believe this is true. However, I believe to this point we have only witnessed the early dawn of the information age. As we step further into the future, as processors become more powerful, as software becomes more user-friendly, and as innovators continue to make leaps in…
Physician/ PA Teams
One of the few differences between PAs and NPs relates to an area that is poorly defined as supervision. In the most rudimentary form, PAs require it, NPs don’t. When people hear this word, supervision, most think of a taskmaster folding his or her arms while the PA kneels submissively caring for their patient. The reality of the word supervision is that it implies that the PA is not an independent practitioner, but is one joined at the hip to a physician. This relationship is loosely called the physician/PA team. By definition it infers that the PA has access to a physician by some manner, whether in person, by telephone, or by some other means of communication.
Critical Practitioner Skill – The Art of Listening
I recently watched a TED Talk entitled “5 Ways to Listen Better,” which I’ve included below. It was very insightful. All health care providers (current and future) will benefit tremendously by paying careful attention to what Mr. Treasure has to say. One of the six core competencies of the PA profession is Interpersonal & Communication skills. I don’t believe there’s…
Contracts and Professional Liability Insurance Policy
Senior PAs are often contacted when former students find themselves in “practice problems.” This communication is an example of a practice problem and a solution. A former student has been working for a physician group for the past three years and is obliged to work at two practice locations seeing thirty patients at each. The PA has been instructed to spend no more than seven minutes on each patient, and this is only one of her problems.
Physician Assistant Profession Reaches Record High Workforce
Last year was a record for Physician Assistants. According to the AAPA 2010 Census Report, the number of PA’s reached 83,466. This is a 100% increase from 10 years ago. The Census Report even noted this increase while the economy has been down.
UC Plans Physician Assistant Master’s Program
The University of Charleston has announced that a new PA program will begin in January, 2013. They believe that this program is needed due to nationwide demand for more Physician Assistants. The only other PA programs in West Virginia are Alderson-Broaddus College and Mountain State University. The accreditation commission will make its first onsite visit in April,2012. The first class of 24 students which starts in January, 2013 will graduate in the spring of 2015.