blueridge Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 The World Health Organization has just released a new document, Transforming and scaling up health professionals' education and training. Is is possible that a traction pad lies therein that is highly pertinent to the PA profession though PAs are not specifically mentioned? This may be relevant for those seasoned PAs who are interested in advancing their education and scope of practice either to physician or to another clinician yet unnamed via a shortened bridge program with tailored residency or something of that nature. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/93635/1/9789241506502_eng.pdf Some highlights for consideration: To respond to the urgent problem of augmenting the quantity of health professionals without depreciating the quality of their education, initiatives can be taken that streamline educational pathways and adapt them to the needs of individuals already in the labour market who wish to upgrade their competencies and enter, or progress in a health career. This is often difficult because of the rigid entry regulations in professional educational programmes or in the profession itself. Recommendation 8 Health professionals’ education and training institutions should consider using streamlined educational pathways, or ladder programmes, for the advancement of practising health professionals. Recommendation 9 Health professionals’ education and training institutions should consider implementing Inter-professional education (IPE) in both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Recommendation 10 National governments should introduce accreditation of health professionals’ education where it does not exist and strengthen it where it where it does exist. This fellow, Dr. Emery Wilson, ".... 2004, he was a member of the World Health Organization/World Federation for Medical Education joint committee to adopt global accreditation standards in all countries." He now works as a consultant regarding medical school accreditation. Is he friend or foe to the PA profession? http://www.djwassoc.com/partners.html This document by the WHO could be seen as an invitation (springboard) toward the innovative transformation of the PA profession, for those who choose such a path. Or, not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Dr. Wilson is from Kentucky though and it is one of the worst states for PAs to practice or so I hear. KY PAs have been making inroads to the restrictions and were successful in lifting some of the on-site supervision requirements. That said.....maybe the WHO report is an opportunity for PAs? But who would lead the way? The report seems to focus on the lack of health care providers in other countries and how to enhance their education and advancement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueridge Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 Paula, you see the mosaic, and this is an excellent platform - rouse and enlist the compassion and clear reasoning of the powers that will, hopefully, float accreditation for a medical school pathway for PAs to more easily transition to physicians. The US is indeed pulling doctors from their homelands leaving behind yet greater voids of medical services to those in need. See this NYT article: America is Stealing the World's Doctors: “For the foreseeable future, every health provider, from Harvard University’s facilities all the way down to a rural clinic in the Ethiopian desert, is competing for medical talent, and the winners are those with money.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/magazine/america-is-stealing-foreign-doctors.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Therefore, it is in the best interest of, yes, world health to grow our own crop of physicians. If select seasoned PAs transition via an affordable and reasonable style program, while being permitted to continue to practice, this presents a desirable blueprint for producing more physicians while providing care, without occupying traditional residency spots. Who will lead the way? Maybe the PAs who have served on medical mission style trips to lands having a shortage of medical providers. Sincerity and reason... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SocialMedicine Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 why not place PAs in this environments rather then training PAs to become MDs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted December 10, 2013 Moderator Share Posted December 10, 2013 why not place PAs in this environments rather then training PAs to become MDs? you would have to empower PAs to do more things without physician "supervision" for this to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueridge Posted December 11, 2013 Author Share Posted December 11, 2013 why not place PAs in this environments rather then training PAs to become MDs? I see this as EMEDA states the situation - released from supervision, which I see as practicing in the capacity of a physician although the degree or final title yet to be determined. PA-D, as in Physician Associate Doctorate? The 2009 WHO document cited below highlights plans to enrich the global environments with medical care, but the overall effectiveness is also limited by the number of physicians who immigrate to higher paying countries, which this document addresses to some extent. http://www.who.int/hrh/resources/scaling-up_planning_report.pdf And this paper, "International Medical Graduates in American Medicine - Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities" clearly reveals that the greatest numbers of foreign physicians practicing in the US are in the fields of internal medicine and family practice, which could be well filled by transitioned Pas being freed of the supervised regulation. Though this paper has a bias toward FMG, it provides some excellent statistics. http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/img/img-workforce-paper.pdf Thus, WHO, for all of its efforts to secure healthcare to the masses of the world must realize that the ever growing brain drain of medical practitioners from deprived lands is a force of which the harmful impact cannot be denied. Surely, there is a place for the US training of foreign physicians, however, a primary focus should be on returning them to their home countries (when possible and reasonable) better prepared to serve the people of their country. Furthermore, since the US holds the motherlode of foreign physicians, the persuasive factor of raising up transitioned PAs can have positive impact in any discussion regarding an innovative PA doctoral pathway absent of the current supervision requirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.