FfIghter23

Yep, here is how Mesa, AZ does it: http://www.mesaaz.gov/home/showdocument?id=122 I think having a good relationship with an EMS medical director and pitching the plan to city EMS/Fire could get you a long way. It is better for patient care (definitive care reached in a shorter time) and better for 911 system (opens up units for real emergencies). I think the Mesa system has been collecting data and hopefully that will become available. If it's a cost saving tool for cities I'm sure they will be on board. The hospital systems may be wary as its bad for business...

First off, I'm not an oldie. I am under the age of 30 (even though I have been in medicine for 10 years as I was a firefighter/paramedic at 19 years old). I appreciate your knowledge and wisdom you bring to the table. I agree that minorities have often been overlooked in this profession. I graduated in a class where 5 of 35 would have been considered minorities. It is definitely something that existing PA programs need to work on. I have seen several PA programs (NYC/LA/Chicago) that are overwhelmingly admitting excellent students from all backgrounds and ethnicities. Regarding online education: I am ok with 1st year didactic education being primarily online or learned at your own convenience. Most med schools have <50% attendance at most lectures and students watch them on their own. Students learn from several sources nowadays and no one is arguing that. I do think it is ridiculous that most PA schools have such hardcore attendance policies. What you were arguing is that online education for PAs would increase the amount of students a program could then admit. Yale had a plan to increase their online program up to 300 students per class. That is extremely troubling as most PA schools have a hard time finding rotations for their students. There are very little incentives to precept students nowadays because there is no financial gain and providers deal with the added pressure of full patient schedules and administrators breathing down your neck. It may not be a problem in your area but I know it is a problem in several areas around the country. More students ---->>> oversaturation. It's already happening whether you have realized it or not. It's still region specific, but salaries are leveling off and the quality of new jobs for new grads has gotten drastically worse (they are being taken advantage of because they are desperate). Just look at J.Ds, PharmDs, and in some areas DPTs now. Most DNP schools already have their students set up their own rotations with little oversight as to the quality. We would be entering a grey area where we are diluting the quality of the training that PAs have had in the past.

ICMNTV-- I actually don't think we need very more PA schools. If you were to double the number of PA students to meet this so called "demand" where are they going to do their training? Who precepts all of these students? I am already seeing PA jobs drying up in major metropolitan areas. There are plenty of jobs in "small town America" but not many of the 25 year old PAs w/ minimal HCE want to serve these communities. They also need several years of adequate supervision before working in a community on their own. The lack of primary care providers is a trickle down effect from MD/DOs pursuing higher paying specialties. The same goes for the 25 year old PA students I have seen from local schools.

Highest paid PA I know is the one who went to Med school and now does ortho and makes $400k+ easy...

Saw that once before. The surgeon was a racehorse and did laparoscopic 3 port for both in abouf two hours.

Hey more time for the hospital to bill 99291/2 for critical care time :)

You don't have MLB ballplayers cooking hot dogs and cutting grass at the stadium. Nor should doctors be secretaries. —Mark Reid, MD "@medicalaxiom on Twitter" This 100% applies to PA's as well. Why am I seeing so many PA providers getting bullied into doing this stuff?

True. Bicarb is almost never used anymore either unless a severe acidosis but those patients are followed by nephrology by that point. The point of EM treatment in hyperkalemia is to stabilize the patient and prevent the life threatening arrhythmias. Other acid base disturbances can be fixed later and usually more slowly as patients tend to need dialysis. It sounds like the resident has learned the major points on treating hyperkalemia and will do a fine job at managing in the emergent setting.

Congratulations! I'm still very much interested in that global health track. Give me a few years of paying for other things and I may tackle it. What are you going to do with all that free time now?

Are you going to make us start calling you Dr. E on here? Or are just making the NPs call you that? =]

Not mine, but a PA colleague from this morning... CC: 9 y/o Sore throat for 3 hours woke up with it. Febrile, Tachy, but no tachypnea per nurse. Kid tripoding and drooling when PA enters room and mom playing on iPhone. In the OR within ten minutes and intubated (fairly difficult per ENT/anesthesia). Side note: up to date vaccinations including HiB. Quick gram stain of epiglottis reveals Strep pyogenes... It can happen to anyone.

Actually it's probably not much better than a standard EM offer. There are so many negatives and extra work you have to do to be a 1099 it wouldnt be worth it unless >$110-120 /hr Also just my opinion. Probably not a lot of benefits offered by the employer either.

Looking forward to your posts! Go get 'em

To me (disclaimer: I haven't participated in a residency): Due diligence = contacting programs and making sure your goals for a postgraduate program line up with theirs. They aren't just interviewing you, but you them. Some are community based EM programs and some are Urban Level I trauma centers. You will have vastly different experiences at each. I'm sure you know this but the PD's will have different personalities. Some will be research focus and others not as much. Some will have options for EMS and flight work, others not. Go into it with specific goals and questions and they will probably appreciate you even more based on your unique ideas and goals. From my understanding APPAP is just an association with a few standards and an admission fee for postgraduate programs. Non-affiliated programs may have equal qualifications and just not be members.

I haven't been to one (plan on applying to some next year), but a few forum members have attended Einstein in Philly and Albany and they sound excellent. Pretty much integrated into a PGY1 resident. The off service rotations sound great as well (Ultrasound, Opth, etc.) I'm sure many of the other are good too. Just do your due diligence when applying and interviewing.