PAs as Professional/Hospital Medical Staff

[andersenpa]

I'm doing some work at my place on the request from many of our PAs to be part of the Professional/ Hospital Medical Staff. This entails a few things:

• the job classification piece, which influences benefits, retirement, compensation structure etc (HR level stuff)
• participation in the organized medical staff, an MD/DO construct. This includes medical staff meetings, forums, voting, seats on hospital committees, etc

 

My questions are- any of you out there involved in this? Does yous facility grant these designations to PAs?

Interested to hear other experiences

 

 

[physasst]

Our facility does not. We have a break room for physicians on each campus that is fully stocked, and PA and NP providers ARE NOT allowed in.

 

We are considered allied health, and I have tried for the past ten years to get this changed with literally no headway.

 

It matters a great deal. For example, as allied health, it takes 15 years to move through the salary range, but consulting staff (physicians), move through in 5 years. We also have a different pension, different benefits (they get special parking that we do not, and they get other benefits like their taxes done for free and a 1500 dollar allowance for professional memberships, licensure, that we do not get) ...they get 18 trip days and 12,000 for CME, we get 7 trip days, and 4,000.

 

We won't even get started on the fact that many things, such as small grants, internal grants, and other items are ONLY open to consulting staff. OR, that any position above program director, such as associate dean, etc., is ONLY open to consulting staff.

 

It's a very sore topic with me.....

[EMEDPA]

2 out of 3 places I work do, unfortunately neither is my primary job...

at 1 I am on the "professional affairs committee" and at the other I am the pa rep to the "emergency services committee".

at my primary job I am designated "dependent non-physician medical staff".....:(   the nps, crnas, and psychologists, nurse midwives, etc are "non-physician independent medical staff".

[Guest Paula]

You are not allied health if you have a doctorate.  It is in the medicare/CMS verbiage somewhere.  Andersen posted it in another thread....

[physasst]

You are not allied health if you have a doctorate.  It is in the medicare/CMS verbiage somewhere.  Andersen posted it in another thread....

You are here.....DNP, PharmD, DPT, all allied health here.

[Guest JMPA]

Correct me if i'm wrong, doesn't allied health apply to technitions and therapists?

[Guest Paula]

You are here.....DNP, PharmD, DPT, all allied health here.

That truly sucks since you work at what is considered "the Premier Medical facility in the World" since so many famous people go there.  You'd think they would recognize their doctorate staff. 

[physasst]

That truly sucks since you work at what is considered "the Premier Medical facility in the World" since so many famous people go there.  You'd think they would recognize their doctorate staff. 

You are not even allowed to have your doctorate on your name tag here. DNP's cannot either. PharmD and DPT can, but only because it is the minimum criteria for their professions now.

 

Of course, physicians are allowed to have MD, PhD, even if they aren't actually USING their PhD, but others are absolutely not allowed to.

 

Been trying to change it for years.....no headway.

[MedicinePower]

You are not even allowed to have your doctorate on your name tag here. DNP's cannot either. PharmD and DPT can, but only because it is the minimum criteria for their professions now.

 

Of course, physicians are allowed to have MD, PhD, even if they aren't actually USING their PhD, but others are absolutely not allowed to.

 

Been trying to change it for years.....no headway.

 

I suspect that PhD is allowable as a PhD isn't a technical degree, but rather an academic degree. PAs use the postnominal PA-C but also include MSPAS or MMS or whatever their program awarded them at the conclusion of study. I further suspect that NPs with a DNP degree could include it as a postnominal but cannot introduce themselves as "Dr" in the clinical setting, much like a PA with a PhD or DHSc cannot introduce themself as "Dr" in a clinical setting, but can in an academic setting.

[EMEDPA]

you can bet as soon as I am done with school I will have PA, DHSc on my name tag....It currently says PA, EMT-P . We are allowed PA + one other title. I am more proud of my EMT-P than my MPAS as it was done after pa school was over. I will not be going around at work introducing myself as Dr Emedpa.

[physasst]

I suspect that PhD is allowable as a PhD isn't a technical degree, but rather an academic degree. PAs use the postnominal PA-C but also include MSPAS or MMS or whatever their program awarded them at the conclusion of study. I further suspect that NPs with a DNP degree could include it as a postnominal but cannot introduce themselves as "Dr" in the clinical setting, much like a PA with a PhD or DHSc cannot introduce themself as "Dr" in a clinical setting, but can in an academic setting.

At most institutions, you would be correct. Here, however, you cannot. Institutional policy dictates that the ONLY credentials to be displayed, are the minimum credentials you need to do your job.

 

On the plus side, we don't have to see..."RN, BSN, MSN, FAACN, etcetcetc."

 

Except of course for physicians, who are allowed to have extra degrees on their badges. Even then, they do it wrong. MD, PhD is actually incorrect, as the it should be the highest degree next to your name if you follow true academic form. And, by the Department of Education, a PhD is ranked higher than an MD which is considered a "first professions" degree. If they wanted to it correctly, it would be PhD, MD.

 

For myself, it is "DHSc, MS, PA-C" or "DHSc, PA-C"

 

Believe me, I have fought this for almost a decade.

 

I know RNs with PhDs and even a couple of PAs here with the PhD. They are NOT allowed to have that on their badge.

 

We are allowed to have it on our email signatures..and just in the last year, they are allowing us to have it on business cards, but not on your name badge.

[andersenpa]

Correct me if i'm wrong, doesn't allied health apply to technitions and therapists?

The US Code:

TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE

CHAPTER 6A--PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

SUBCHAPTER V--HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION

Part F--General Provisions

Sec. 295p. Definitions•

(5) The term ``allied health professionals'' means a health professional (other than a registered nurse or physician assistant)—[Emphasis added]

        (A) who has received a certificate, an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, a doctoral degree, or post-baccalaureate training, in a science relating to health care;

        (B) who shares in the responsibility for the delivery of health care services or related services, including—

        (i) services relating to the identification, evaluation, and prevention of disease and disorders;

               (ii) dietary and nutrition services;

               (iii) health promotion services;

               (iv) rehabilitation services; or

               (v) health systems management services; and

        (C) who has not received a degree of doctor of medicine, a degree of doctor of osteopathy, a degree of doctor of dentistry or an equivalent degree, a degree of doctor of veterinary medicine or an equivalent degree, a degree of doctor of optometry or an equivalent degree, a degree of doctor of podiatric medicine or an equivalent degree, a degree of bachelor of science in pharmacy or an equivalent degree, a degree of doctor of pharmacy or an equivalent degree, a graduate degree in public health or an equivalent degree, a degree of doctor of chiropractic or an equivalent degree, a graduate degree in health administration or an equivalent degree, a doctoral degree in clinical psychology or an equivalent degree, or a degree in social work or an equivalent degree or a degree in counseling or an equivalent degree.

[ventana]

CMS specifically EXCLUDES us from "allied health"

[rev ronin]

CMS specifically EXCLUDES us from "allied health"

They exclude NPs, too, since they are RNs by definition.  CRNAs too, for that matter.

 

At Group Health, PAs are members of the medical staff, but NPs are not, since that would take them out of the nursing union.

[andersenpa]

They exclude NPs, too, since they are RNs by definition.  CRNAs too, for that matter.

 

At Group Health, PAs are members of the medical staff, but NPs are not, since that would take them out of the nursing union.

A fact I am using in my own work here in Seattle.