"Hello, I will be your Medical Practitioner today."

[wildPAbrendan]

I haven't seen anyone mention this in what I've read so far. How about calling PA's Medical Practitioners.

 

Pros: MP sounds like MD.

Practitioner is much more accurate than assistant and more "doctor" sounding than Associate.

 

Cons: MP sounds like MD, they won't like that.

Same initials as Military Police.

 

I know there are already plenty of discussions about possible name changes, but I thought I'd plant this seed where people could easily see it.

[Joelseff]

I haven't seen anyone mention this in what I've read so far. How about calling PA's Medical Practitioners.

 

Pros: MP sounds like MD.

Practitioner is much more accurate than assistant and more "doctor" sounding than Associate.

 

Cons: MP sounds like MD, they won't like that.

Same initials as Military Police.

 

I know there are already plenty of discussions about possible name changes, but I thought I'd plant this seed where people could easily see it.

We've talked about here many times...

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

[mandrew1]

Why do people want to continually change our name? The profession has been growing since inception, and it's projected to keep growing as one of the top career fields. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." In my (humble) opinion, this name change thing is all about ego. Has anyone considered the logistical nightmare it would be to change the name of the profession? It would probably cost millions of dollars to do so. Additionally, now we will confuse patients and have to spend another several years explaining what a Physician Associate, or Medical practitioner is!

 

I think that boat has sailed.

[cg02186]

Why do people want to continually change our name? The profession has been growing since inception, and it's projected to keep growing as one of the top career fields. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." In my (humble) opinion, this name change thing is all about ego. Has anyone considered the logistical nightmare it would be to change the name of the profession? It would probably cost millions of dollars to do so. Additionally, now we will confuse patients and have to spend another several years explaining what a Physician Associate, or Medical practitioner is!

 

I think that boat has sailed.

 

I think changing it to Physician Associate won't be hard for patients at all.  Most of the time, the introduction is just "Hi my name is _____, the PA."  And if they ask what a PA is just say associate instead of assistant.  No matter how much time passes, as long as the name has assistant in it, it'll still be associated with the role of an MA as far as just taking vitals and rooming patients. I'm still a student on rotations, but have already been asked at least 100 times if I will be allowed to prescribe, see patients on my own, suture, order a test, etc. because I'm just an "assistant."  I understand the logistical nightmare though so I see both sides of the argument.  

[mandrew1]

Again, when I became a PA in 1994, I was all for changing the name. in fact, Yale's program is a "Physician Associate" program. However, the profession is doing extremely well, and we enjoy a very high satisfaction rate with patients. How much can a name change, at this point, increase those stats? I don't care what you call me, it's about my relationship with my patients and not my title that counts. I really believe if we all thought about the reasons why we need to change the name, ego would be the main reason. There is no practical reason. I haven't had to explain my job to a patient all year. I do

believe the name "physician associate" better describes what we do; however, I still think we missed the boat a long time ago. 

[LKPAC]

Why do people want to continually change our name? 

 

Because the name sucks.  I am no one's "assistant."

[mandrew1]

Ego!

[Febrifuge]

"Medical practitioner" is a way more general, encompassing term, and includes MDs, DOs (those two make up the subset "physicians"), PAs, and NPs (except the ones who for whatever reason choose to insist they practice advanced nursing*).

 

Introducing myself as a Medical Practitioner would feel awkward and weird. I wouldn't want to imply that my colleague the MD is somehow not also one.

 

Informally, I have sometimes approached the "wait, what's a PA?" conversation by asking if the person knows about nurse practitioners. They say yes, and I respond "okay, then, consider me a *medical* practitioner," and that sometimes brings it into focus.

 

 

 

 

* but they actually practice medicine, so just nod and smile

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

I really hate when someone says its about ego. Do I dislike having assistant in my name because it's not what I do, yes, but I wouldn't bother with it for that reason alone. It's bad for the profession because when you go to a legislator and ask "Physician assistants should be able to sign/prescribe/perform xyz and we should reduce their arbitrary and burdensome supervision requirements to xyz." They are confused about why an assistant needs to be able to do all this, do they have the qualifications to do all this, and shouldn't they be directly supervised when they are just assisting? Its a mental block and words matter, especially to politicians and the public. Its why politicians say things like "death panels" or "assault rifle/machine gun" when referring to something less threatening. I don't think medical practitioner is the way to go, but there is historical and international precedence for Physician Associate and would require very little work or cost to change and may have a big impact on how we are perceived by lawmakers and the public.  Cost/Benefit analysis easily favors a title change to Physician Associate. If we are going to abandon it all together, then the title Clinical Officer, like that used in South Africa, would probably be better in my opinion.

 

But hey, if we get everything in the Full Practice Responsibility recommendations, then I'll be the first to drop it.

[blueridge]

Perception matters, and professional titles connote perceptions.  In this case, how the general public and policy makers perceive the realm of practice of PAs matters greatly. The term assistant has been utilized in various ways (i.e., articles/comment sections) to suppress the profession.  Therefore, be away with the hinderance since doing so is a logical and prudent measure to ensure that the profession thrives.

[ventana]

those that claim this is 'ego' and we don't need to change it

 

I had the MEDICAL ASSISTING board weighing in on my opening a practice - till I educated the STATE ATTORNEY that I was no one's assistant

I have people ask (at the end of the visit) when the provider was going to see them as I was just the ASSISTANT

I have had to explain to people over the past 15 years that I am not an assistant

We got left off the HiTech funds - $44,000 PER PA x 100,000 PAs is $4,400,000,000 left on the table as Congress "thought PAs just were under the Doc's"

I can't sign death cert in my state cause I am just and assistant

 

 

I could go on and on about how the word ASSISTANT has injured out profession - yes we are growing, but the name is holding us back and in fact is totally mis leading..... 

 

 

It is not about ego -

[sillycibin]

My hospital has just lumped NPs and PAs together as Advanced Practitioners and patients are told "one of the advanced practitioners will see you."  I prefer advanced practitioner to PA as I also think the "assistant" part of our name has held us back.  Love being able to do conscious sedation on patients but I can't order restraints...

[jb5158]

"Medical practitioner" is a way more general, encompassing term, and includes MDs, DOs (those two make up the subset "physicians"), PAs, and NPs (except the ones who for whatever reason choose to insist they practice advanced nursing*).

 

Introducing myself as a Medical Practitioner would feel awkward and weird. I wouldn't want to imply that my colleague the MD is somehow not also one.

 

Informally, I have sometimes approached the "wait, what's a PA?" conversation by asking if the person knows about nurse practitioners. They say yes, and I respond "okay, then, consider me a *medical* practitioner," and that sometimes brings it into focus.

 

 

 

 

* but they actually practice medicine, so just nod and smile

 

This is genius. We have way more NPs in the hospital system. if I'm short on time and get asked what a PA is, I'll ask if they're familiar with nurse practitioners (which about 80% of them are) and say that I function in the clinic just like an NP. I like the idea of substituting "medical" for nurse though when I explain it, fast but communicates things more clearly. 

[DizzyJ]

This is genius. We have way more NPs in the hospital system. if I'm short on time and get asked what a PA is, I'll ask if they're familiar with nurse practitioners (which about 80% of them are) and say that I function in the clinic just like an NP. I like the idea of substituting "medical" for nurse though when I explain it, fast but communicates things more clearly. 

Eek!  I should not need to relate my profession to the patient familiarity of NPs

 

How about "do you know what a doctor is? essentially I function just like them in the clinic, but you don't call me doctor".  Why is that not acceptable?

 

I am a PA and have not "advanced" from anything to become a PA.  I guess I advanced from a poor college student to a upper middle class medical provider.  Advanced practice is an NP term (as in advanced practice nurse). 

[Reality Check 2]

"Hi, I am Jane, a PA. I am Dr. G's partner. What's going on that you came in today?"

 

***"What is a PA?"

 

"I work with a physician in this private practice and provide 90%+ of the same services. We work as a team. Our profession came out of the need to better serve patients - we've been around for about 50 years. The President of the US has at least 3 PAs on his personal care team."

 

***"Oh, Ok - I think I have the flu......"

 

No song and dance. No comparisons. Cut to the chase. I know what I am doing. How can I help you?

 

I don't have time for musical presentations or long diatribes.

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

Eek! I should not need to relate my profession to the patient familiarity of NPs

 

How about "do you know what a doctor is? essentially I function just like them in the clinic, but you don't call me doctor". Why is that not acceptable?

 

I am a PA and have not "advanced" from anything to become a PA. I guess I advanced from a poor college student to a upper middle class medical provider. Advanced practice is an NP term (as in advanced practice nurse).

I agree. I say "I practice medicine with a master's degree and Dr. So and so has a doctorate." Rarely goes beyond that.

[mandrew1]

How much is a name change going to add to the #1 profession in the country...seriously. I've been a PA for over twenty years, owned my own practice for eight years, I've done very well as a physician assistant, thank you. Say what you want, but every time I ask a PA why they would change the name, the answer is all about "them," not the profession. You won't make more money, we want be more credible, and it would cost a fortune. I would love for someone to explain to me how this great profession would become even greater with that name change. It's not about you!

 

 

Where does it say in our job description that we are a physician's assistant?

 

 

EGO!!!!, think about it.

[Monte]

I would take any change over the current.. the majority is for it. Who cares if 2% of it is ego.. don't be the old man afraid of change. Name change combined with a media strategy would go a long way for the career.

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

I would like for someone to explain to me where this "cost a fortune" idea is coming from. Give me a specific example of where it would cost money?

 

Before you say it would cost in changing state statute, no one pays for that. We are constantly submitting new PA legislation all the time and already pay lobbyist for this. Adding this one little thing to the list is not going to increase cost.

 

Logos, educational materials, literature, these are constantly updated. No need to print all new materials over night. Just the next time it's updated, put the new title on there. Anything that only had PA on it wouldn't have to change at all.

[mandrew1]

Get over it! I'm a proud "Physician Assistant," well respected by my patients and thriving in practice. Go start explaining what a "Medical Practitioner" or "Physician Associate" is all over again!!! I think you're going a little overboard with the "Political" argument. Come on...really?

[Aunt Val]

If we are going to abandon it all together, then the title Clinical Officer, like that used in South Africa, would probably be better in my opinion.

If "associate physician" or "physician associate" don't fly, I like the sound of "Clinical officer". It would give a fairly blank slate from which to explain the profession, and it wouldn't likely get confused for other jobs in the medical field.

 

Maybe this is a crazy idea, but what if PAs took the name change even further and used the term "feldsher" like in Russia? Yes, it would take some education to familiarize people with, but it's another blank-slate option and is easy enough to pronounce.

 

Of course the whole name issue would have been easier to solve/change when the profession was in its infancy than it would be now, but it will get harder as time goes on and PAs gain more recognition and multiply in number.

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

Get over it! I'm a proud "Physician Assistant," well respected by my patients and thriving in practice. Go start explaining what a "Medical Practitioner" or "Physician Associate" is all over again!!! I think you're going a little overboard with the "Political" argument. Come on...really?

I'm going overboard? Not a very legitimate counterpoint. I've presented a legitimate reason for the title update. I've also asked for you to itemize the supposed costs, which you haven't shown. So I guess the debate is over.

 

It's about ego? Come on, really? Just get over that the majority of PAs support a title change.

[OneDayAPA_Maybe]

Just be a competent medical provider and people will not care. One of my biggest influences in becoming a PA was a Korean and Vietnam vet. Trusted his PA more than his doctor because he knew his PA and his PA spent time with him. Tomato tomahto. As long as you are competent, that is what matters. A name is a name, it does not define you. Remember why you are here and what you want. If you are so worried about name, then be an MD. Practice medicine well as an PA, NP, MD, or DO, just practice medicine well.

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

Just be a competent medical provider and people will not care. One of my biggest influences in becoming a PA was a Korean and Vietnam vet. Trusted his PA more than his doctor because he knew his PA and his PA spent time with him. Tomato tomahto. As long as you are competent, that is what matters. A name is a name, it does not define you. Remember why you are here and what you want. If you are so worried about name, then be an MD. Practice medicine well as an PA, NP, MD, or DO, just practice medicine well.

Don't you think it would be easier for you, when you graduate, to practice good medicine without unnecessary regulations restricting you? Don't you think removing those restrictions would be easier without people wondering why an assistant needs more leeway?

[Monte]

Don't you think it would be easier for you, when you graduate, to practice good medicine without unnecessary regulations restricting you? Don't you think removing those restrictions would be easier without people wondering why an assistant needs more leeway?

 

Keep preaching Oneal! I'm just as confused as to why people don't want a more professional (and less questionable) title. By that I mean a title that indicates being a provider, not their assistant.