Joelseff Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 they've got mail! Oh and more on the way, I posted a "CALL TO ARMS" on my FB and my PA class' FB site to flood Today with emails!!!!!!! Lets get this rollin y'all maybe this is the Tip of the Spear for our push for better recognition!!!!!!!!!! AAPA be damned!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagirl82 Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 Hate to bring in the grammar police, but, I think it is important if we are writing on behalf of the profession: just as the profession is not titled "Physician's Assistant" the plural of "Physician Assistant" is not "PA's" - it is PAs. Just wanted to make it clear that I wrote "physician's assistant" because that's what the viewer said. I think "PA's" is pretty well accepted, just as MD's, DO's, NP's are all accepted abbreviations. It's kind of an unwritten rule that the plural of an abbreviation is made with 's. Thinker - Dr. Snyderman actually does appear to read her facebook page. She responds to comments sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physio Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I was able to write on her FB wall by "like"-ing her page as well. I believe that each PA themselves is the best advocate for our profession. Keep flooding her with emails and more importantly, email the today show demanding an on-air correction that: 1) PAs can and should be seen as primary care providers (and simply not confined to "tech" roles in specialty practices) 2) PAs can prescribe in ALL 50 states and the majority of states extend narcotics prescriptive rights to PAs as well The PANCE for PAs is fundamentally based on primary care for PAs and while many PAs work in specialties, I think we as PAs need to remain true to the roots of our profession and market ourselves as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob77 Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 AAPA sent a letter to the good Dr. It's posted on their FB page. Seems fairly anemic though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobuddy Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 AAPA sent a letter to the good Dr. It's posted on their FB page. Seems fairly anemic though. Please dont tell me that was the official response of the AAPA that I saw. I was hoping it was just a suggestion from a fellow PA that didnt want to rock the boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob77 Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Nope. That was it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagirl82 Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 I think it's great that everyone wants to defend the profession, but there have been so many rude, inappropiate, and unprofessional comments by PA's on Dr. Snyderman's, TODAY's, and AAPA's facebook pages. Ranting and insulting her doesn't make us look very good. It was an unfortunate mistake that really struck a nerve with many PA's. She was fielding a question from a viewer and gave some inaccurate information. It's not like she set out to do a segment called "why PA's are bad". She meant no harm to us. I wish all those who commented on the incident had taken some time to cool off before writing. I fear we're coming across as overly defensive and unprofessional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faith22 Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 couldn't have said it any better myself Pagirl82.....Dr. Snyderman is a fabulous MD, person, and corespondent....while I understand why everyone is upset, please understand that this was not an entire erroneous segment on the PA profession, it was a live Q&A call in and Dr. Snyderman simply misspoke. A lot of times producers give you only a few minutes for the entire live call in segment, and you have just a few seconds to hear the question and form a helpful answer. Another point I want to make is that it is usually always up to the producers and a bunch of people above Dr. Snyderman to determine whether or not an on air apology or correction can be made. While I totally agree that that would be very helpful to those that don't have access to her facebook page, I wouldn't crucify her personally for not being able to state on air that she made a mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 AAPA sent a letter to the good Dr. It's posted on their FB page. Seems fairly anemic though. I love the fact that multiple PAs hit her FB page hard well before the AAPA could muster a response. Furthermore, the AAPA issued a statement....on.....the AAPA FB page. A page read by.... PAs. Way to go. Where did they issue their correction to- Dr Snyderman's email account? Where it will quickly find itself deleted? What irks me about the AAPA response is that their description continues to short change what PAs do. Do we need to do better in how we describe ourselves? Practice medicine as part of a team with a licensed physician. The same could be said of other physicians, NPs, etc. PAs "alleviate workload" no differently than physician partners do for each other. We REALLY need to get away from describing what we do in terms of how it makes practice easier for physicians and instead focus on how we practice medicine. (You know, kinda like the way NPs have done it?!?!?!!!) Lately every time I read our description of what we "do" (diagnose, interpret, prescribe, etc) it seems more and more restrictive to me. Reminds of the Seinfeld joke about how docs put their diplomas on the wall. "SEE??!?! I really am a doctor, you know!" I am a specialty PA. What I do in practice is quite different than what my surgeon colleagues do....in almost every way. I can only imagine what it is like for my PA brothers and sisters who work in FP, peds, Occ Med, EM, etc who do damn near exactly what their doc colleagues do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I think it's great that everyone wants to defend the profession, but there have been so many rude, inappropiate, and unprofessional comments by PA's on Dr. Snyderman's, TODAY's, and AAPA's facebook pages. Ranting and insulting her doesn't make us look very good. It was an unfortunate mistake that really struck a nerve with many PA's. She was fielding a question from a viewer and gave some inaccurate information. It's not like she set out to do a segment called "why PA's are bad". She meant no harm to us. I wish all those who commented on the incident had taken some time to cool off before writing. I fear we're coming across as overly defensive and unprofessional. I agree that responses should be kept professional. However, we as a profession do not have the luxury to take her ignorance lightly. If you don't know about something- don't talk about it. If you or your family is seen by a PA (or if Dr Snyderman has worked with any PAs, who knows), you'd hope she would know something about them ..... that she's....well....a physician.....and, oh, perhaps....a MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR A MAJOR NEWS NETWORK. I think it's resonable to hold her a higher standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobuddy Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I agree that responses should be kept professional. However, we as a profession do not have the luxury to take her ignorance lightly. If you don't know about something- don't talk about it. If you or your family is seen by a PA (or if Dr Snyderman has worked with any PAs, who knows), you'd hope she would know something about them ..... that she's....well....a physician.....and, oh, perhaps....a MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR A MAJOR NEWS NETWORK. I think it's reasonable to hold her a higher standard. Agree with this post. I have looked at her FB page frequently over the past day to see if she would address any of the comments and have not seen any inappropriate, rude or out of line comments. Yes, we are defending our profession - but if we don't, and stand quietly by (as we have been in the past) who will take up for us? The AAPA? Nope. The MD's? Hardly. The NP's? Dont think so. She is a professional that is paid quite well to be knowledgeable and accurate on medical related issues. For her to say that her whole family sees a Derm PA - but then to not know what PAs do - reflects on her (as a professional/MD) as well as our profession. I would hope to maintain her credibility she would be able to address this issue on air as well as on FB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagirl82 Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 Most comments were fine, but there have been several comments with sarcasm and chastizing remarks. I do agree that she should be held to a high standard and should be better informed about PA's. It's pretty basic stuff. I was surprised that her entire family sees a derm PA and apparently either get no medications or all or written by the SP (or possibly she's confused by both names being written on the rx?). I wouldn't say she mis-spoke. Rather, she didn't fully understand our profession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob77 Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 couldn't have said it any better myself Pagirl82.....Dr. Snyderman is a fabulous MD, person, and corespondent....while I understand why everyone is upset, please understand that this was not an entire erroneous segment on the PA profession, it was a live Q&A call in and Dr. Snyderman simply misspoke. A lot of times producers give you only a few minutes for the entire live call in segment, and you have just a few seconds to hear the question and form a helpful answer. Another point I want to make is that it is usually always up to the producers and a bunch of people above Dr. Snyderman to determine whether or not an on air apology or correction can be made. While I totally agree that that would be very helpful to those that don't have access to her facebook page, I wouldn't crucify her personally for not being able to state on air that she made a mistake. Nonsense. She stated TWICE in that conversation that a PA could not write prescriptions. She is either ignorant or hostile towards us like her representing organizations are (AMA,AAFP). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Banuchi Posted March 18, 2011 Administrator Share Posted March 18, 2011 AAPA PRESIDENT'S RESPONSE TO THE TODAY SHOW by Janette Rodrigues on March 18' date=' 2011 On Thursday, March 17, 2011, NBC's "TODAY" show aired a segment during which Dr. Nancy Snyderman made inaccurate statements about PAs. Of particular concern was the statement that PAs could not prescribe. Below is AAPA President Patrick Killeen's letter to Dr. Snyderman. March 18, 2011 Dr. Nancy Snyderman NBC News Network Chief Medical Editor 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10112-0015 Dear Dr. Snyderman, As a physician assistant who specializes in pediatrics, and president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, I was both surprised and disappointed by your comments about my profession during the March 17, 2011 "Daily Dose" segment on the "TODAY" program. While you may not have intended, your response to the caller's question marginalized the PA profession. Your comments suggested that America's 78,000 PAs are best-suited for subspecialties, such as dermatology over primary care, and inaccurately stated that PAs are not authorized to prescribe medications. Furthermore, you indicated that PAs are unlikely to make decisions without needing to check with a physician. The misleading information you provided is a disservice to the millions of viewers who trust the health information you provide. It is important that you clarify to your viewers, already feeling the effects of provider shortages across every specialty, including primary care, that they can and should rely on the expert care provided by PAs. PAs are educated in the medical model, practice in every medical setting and specialty, and work as part of a team-based approach with doctors and other providers to deliver high-quality patient care. It is important to note that the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act identifies PAs, along with, physicians and NPs as the three health care professionals providing primary care in the United States today. This team-based approach to health care is critical to ensuring that patients get the care they need, when they need it. In addition, PAs are authorized to prescribe medication in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, and nearly all states include controlled substances in that authority. Misinformation about the important role of PAs in health care can confuse patients. In addition to the immediate on-air clarification we have requested from your producers, we hope that you will consider preparing a segment that features a more complete look into the scope of PA practice and the need for team-based models of care in today's health care system. AAPA would be happy to meet with your producers to expand their understanding of the full scope of PA practice. Sincerely, Patrick E. Killeen, MS, PA-C President, AAPA Source: http://www.networkedblogs.com/fAmsp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraumawannabPAs Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 It seems as though all comments regarding the PA mishap are no longer on Dr. Snyderman's facebook page. .......The only thing that remains is Dr.Snyderman's original response to the issue. :~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobuddy Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Wow. You are right. All of the comments - gone. Unbelievable. She lost all my respect with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraumawannabPAs Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Maybe there is some kind of reasonable explanation............. maybe........hopefully............ Wow. You are right. All of the comments - gone. Unbelievable. She lost all my respect with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Banuchi Posted March 19, 2011 Administrator Share Posted March 19, 2011 It seems as though all comments regarding the PA mishap are no longer on Dr. Snyderman's facebook page. .......The only thing that remains is Dr.Snyderman's original response to the issue. :~ Well, in case she "lost" them.... I have a copy here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagirl82 Posted March 19, 2011 Author Share Posted March 19, 2011 It seems as though all comments regarding the PA mishap are no longer on Dr. Snyderman's facebook page. .......The only thing that remains is Dr.Snyderman's original response to the issue. :~ I thought she was selectively deleting comments earlier today. I knew I had seen multiple nasty posts by PA's yesterday, but when I went back to look, only the positive ones remained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulPA Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 9 people like this. <LI class="uiUfiComments uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"> [/url] Dr. Nancy Snyderman I have heard the messages loud and clear. And as I have said in several messages I believe verry strongly that PAs and physicians and nurses have to work together if we are going to mend our fractured medical system. I mis-spoke about prescribing and apologized. With that said, yes, my entire family sees a wonderful PA in our town and I wouldn't have it any other way. 3 hours ago · LikeUnlike <LI class="uiUfiAddComment clearfix uiUfiSmall ufiItem ufiItem uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder uiUfiAddCommentCollapsed"> This is the lastest post on her page. So She has responded. I doubt we will get on on air apology but maybe if we play our cards right maybe we can get something better, a segment on PAs and everything that we can offer. IMO that would be much better an onair apology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobuddy Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 You beat me to her reply post. Hopefully she will do the right thing and still do a retraction of what she said on air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Well, in case she "lost" them.... I have a copy here! Strong work Mike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 9 people like this.<LI class="uiUfiComments uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"> [/url] Dr. Nancy Snyderman I have heard the messages loud and clear. And as I have said in several messages I believe verry strongly that PAs and physicians and nurses have to work together if we are going to mend our fractured medical system. I mis-spoke about prescribing and apologized. With that said, yes, my entire family sees a wonderful PA in our town and I wouldn't have it any other way. 3 hours ago · LikeUnlike <LI class="uiUfiAddComment clearfix uiUfiSmall ufiItem ufiItem uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder uiUfiAddCommentCollapsed"> This is the lastest post on her page. So She has responded. I doubt we will get on on air apology but maybe if we play our cards right maybe we can get something better, a segment on PAs and everything that we can offer. IMO that would be much better an onair apology. I don't watch the Today show so I have no idea if she corrected herself on air. If she did NOT correct herself on-air, then the above response shows she did NOT GET THE MESSAGE LOUD AND CLEAR. The issue is not the correction/apology, but to whom it is directed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj11 Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 You guys did do great work! Congratulations. I've come to this late. I do have a dog in this fight, because I'm a PA, however, my dogs are all beat up right now ( as I've been battling fights one after the other in the past few months with my clinic creation activities). So, I'm proud of you. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpe178 Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Whew, just finished my gynecology exam and am a little short on sleep, but I went ahead and wrote to NBC myself. I might still be a student, but you can never start fighting too early for our profession :-) "Hello, I am a current Physician Assistant student who enjoys the news and entertainment associated with the Today show on a regular basis. In your recent interview with contributor Nancy Snyderman, I was shocked and appalled at what poor representation she gave to one of the fastest-growing professions in our country. Not only does your misinformed contributor clearly lack common knowledge about an important member of the medical team, she lacks the ability to provide appropriate information to your viewing community. Her most recent failed attempt at correcting her horrendous mistake was via Facebook, which not only shows her lack of compassion for such a misguided explanation, but her lack of professionalism in approaching a topic which she clearly has no knowledge or concern. In this regard, I deem an on-air statement that acknowledges this apology and associated correction. There are currently ~80,000 Physician Assistants practicing in the United States, with this number growing each year on a local and international level. I encourage NBC to consider a more knowledgeable and courteous medical contributor in the near future, as I fear Nancy Snyderman, as evidenced by her interview, can only provide a limited understanding of the medical profession." As others have said, maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I'm hoping that the show is so bombarded with letters and calls that they instead bring a PA on air and ultimately promote the profession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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