corpsman89

I am curious how the bill (HR 5506) is doing now that the government seems to be advocating direct billing for PAs. https://www.aapa.org/news-central/2018/04/legislation-introduced-authorize-direct-pay-pas-medicare/

I can't argue with this. I agree 100% But while PA schools are expanding, NP schools are a real problem. As I rotate through my rotations I am surprised to learn that nearly all the RNs that I am encountering are currently going to NP school (Online of course).

I would think most PAs wouldn't have wanted this sort of thing to happen. Many MDs/PAs see what NPs are doing and they don't think it safe or ethical, especially considering the many online diploma mills that NPs are completing. However, as a profession, this is our last chance to remain relevant in today's medical landscape. With more and more organizations saying the hell with PAs due to our supervisory agreements, we MUST eliminate supervision requirements in order to stay on par with NPs and stay competitive in the market. It's understandable to not like the current trend, but there is no stopping the nursing agenda. We wither keep up, or get left behind.

The first state will be the hardest. If this gets passed we will have reached a MAJOR milestone and each subsequent state will be easier and more achievable.

"Unable to evaluate secondary to body habitus"

I think title change is important not only to better describe what we do to our patients and to the public, but it gives us a moment to really publicize ourselves and our profession. Just imagine. An entire profession changing their title. Obviously this would be major if we changed our title to something quite different like Medical Practitioner. It would spark very big discussions, not only among other health care workers, patients, but also among legislative members. It gives us an opportunity to get out a big PR campaign explaining to the public why we are NOT assistants.

With the ever looming/advancing/encroaching NP advancement, and the ever slowly moving/stagnant PA advancement, I am beginning to heavily consider which specialty is the most PA friendly, and which specialty is least threatened by the new online, yet fully independent FNP and ACNP grad. Obviously as a student currently on rotations my number one priority in terms of jobs is finding a specialty that I enjoy working in. But aside from this I am very concerned with NPs having an advantage over me due to simple administrative reasons, hence why I am taking this into consideration. Right off the bat I would assume most surgical specialties would be mostly safe (mainly ortho, but vascular, cardiothoracic, general, etc) due to the additional step that NPs have to take in order to be involved in 1st assisting (RNFA). For a while now though I have assumed the ER was a generally safe place for PAs, but it seems that many FNPs are taking the next step and getting their ENP certification so they can work in any ER, and some ERs are simply ok with a FNP who can't even suture. Any thoughts?

Baby steps. I think it would be incredibly naive to believe that we would see change right away. Things take time. Especially when it comes to changing the title of an entire profession--something I don't think has ever happened before in the age of social media. Yes, I think AAPA should be blasting emails to members for the support of H.R. 5506. They should also have it pinned on their Facebook page as well as their website but O'well. Yes, they should also have the name change near the top or at least be mentioning it more on social media, email, and on their website, but o'well. At least these things are an actual possibility, and not just stuff we are talking about here on this website. They are becoming reality and they have a much better chance of achieving this reality if more members would fully support AAPA and unify the profession similar to what NPs are doing. We're adults. We should understand that not everything is perfect but at least AAPA is starting to make the right decisions.

Well that is great news for sure! I just wish they would promote it to everyday PAs a little better. I have heard absolutely nothing about it other when it was first introduced. Nothing from my school, social media, their website, emails from them. One big difference (in my opinion) is that many NPs seem to be very involved and informed in their legislative endeavors. I imagine the reason is that their professional organizations makes sure they know what is going on and how important it is. With that being said, it is apparent that AAPA has changed and is now charging hard for PAs and our advancement in the marketplace and our ability to treat more patients.

I'm mainly referring to direct entry DNP programs and the like. NPs in many states that graduate from programs like these with basically no real nursing experience are allowed to practice at the top of their scope, with zero oversight. THAT'S SCARY! And yes, I have a major problem with PA programs admitting students with hardly any experience. I believe that PA programs should only accept applicants with a MINIMUM of 2000 hours of QUALITY experience. But in the end at least we have some oversight. I think the perfect model would be oversight for ALL new PA/NPs (regardless of experience) (2-3 years), and then given a pseudo OTP/independence type situation there after.

Agreed. However, AAPA has practically done nothing to promote this other than their initial social media post. They should pin this to the top of their Facebook page. It should be on the front page of their website, and most importantly they should send a major email out to all members advocating for this bills passage. I have serious doubts that it will get passed, either through superior opposition or through no one advocating for the bill.

Agree with the name change. I also abhor the "just say PA" message and do not like changing the name to Physician Associate because it will keep the "PA" initials. I have been voting for Medical Practitioner for a while know. It gives us a unique path. We are Practitioners who are trained within the medical model.... Unlike NPs. It also would create a conversation not only within the medical field but within the general community about who we are and why we are NOT assistants.

I don't necessarily like to "tear down" another profession but NPs have legitimately pushed their authority, clout, and power too far. The very fact that PAs have far superior, standardized and verifiably higher quality training, yet are restricted legislatively compared to NPs proves this point. I feel like many PAs are being sort of 'forced' into the idea of independence from Physicians, not because we believe it is best for patient care, but because of competition from NPs. Really it's the only way for us to survive, because the current trends and signs show that PAs are being outpaced by NPs due to their full practice authority and other legislative wins. In a perfect world, NPs and PAs would both operate in an OTP type environment.

Yeah anything that includes "Physician Assistant Studies" is a ridiculous sounding degree. DMS should be the preferred degree and I hope more schools get on board with this degree. PA degrees should also should be uniform and I think MMS would be the best degree. MMS -> DMS. Clear progression and a unified profession.

I saw this too, but it is not nearly as legitimate as the NP PDF that includes references, authors, etc.