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What are you called? How are you referred to?


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Excuse my title ending in a preposition, but I've recently wondered exactly how to speak or even introduce PAs or NPs.

 

Most of the folk in my hometown aren't exactly knowledgeable about medicine and the professions regarding it.  The NPs and PAs in the family practices are generally just called "Doctor."

 

When you introduce yourself to patients, do you just refer to yourself as your name?  How do most patients refer to you?  Additionally, how do you speak to fellow PAs and NPs if you don't know their name?

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At Joelseff:

How does it feel working as only PA with all those NPs. Do they treat you pretty equal or look down. Here in Pennsylvania, NPs are fighting for independent practice and already have pretty lax laws so they don't care for PAs much.

I have had to prove to the docs and the NPs that PA's are well-prepared for Primary Care Medicine. It took a few weeks but now I often get the NPs asking me to look at something or perform procedures that they don't know how to do (like arthrocenteses, i&d, sutures, lesion excision, and joint and trigger point injections etc... Yes, they dont know how to do these) also a few of the docs seek me out for some of these things as well lol. One doc who is a bit of a curmudgeon asked me to consult on an HIV case. He loves me now lol (also helps that we are both ex military). As far as my colleagues I think I'm well liked and respected. I think in an environment like that where we are at a bit of a disadvantage (dependent provider vs independent, they get paid a better/higher payscale etc) keeping one's head down and letting their work shine is a great way to prove your worth in silence.

 

The independence thing in some instances can get someone in trouble. Do I think we should be independent? I dunno. I'm for graduated independence but there should be a metric for that. I think by virtue of graduating NP school or PA school or med school for that matter is not enough. Maybe a residency? Or exam like STEP. I dunno... But that was more than u asked lol

 

Sent from my S5 Active...Like you care...

 

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"PA Gardella", "My PA"

 

If "doctor" (I work with the elderly and demented - so its hard to get them to understand...wearing my badge and repeating I'm their PA) Since medicare reimburses at 85% I sometimes say "I'm 85% a Doctor" but with a wink and a nudge...

 

or Advanced Practitioner

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Hello/hi there, I'm evolute, PA I'm the provider working the in the ED today/tonight....what's your name?... 

If a kiddo I just say hi there I'm evolute.....

 

Funny story... Had a guy come in the other night and asked "what's the PA stand for? Pain in the A$$"? (not the first time I've heard this). Turns out he was constipated. I walked back in the room with the nurse who was holding the the enema bag/setup and said "remember the pain in the a$$ in my title"? he looked at me and laughed and said "yeah" I told him the Dx and pointed to the bag. he then stated "I figured that was coming". we both laughed..... me a bit more then him.    

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"Hi, I'm Barry, a PA working with Dr. so and so." I encourage them to call me by my first name (I'm pretty much the average age of our patients). Many call me "Dr. Barry" which is OK because my last name is hard for some of them to pronounce and all of them to remember. I don't feel it's necessary to correct anyone -- I said who I was and that's that; call me what you want. The vast majority of people treat me with respect.

 

After a few years, there are many patients who prefer to see me. There are also some who want to see the Doc. That's OK. Life goes on.

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I work rural primary care, and introduce myself as  Firstname Lastname, Nurse Practitioner, after which many or most of my patients call me, "Dr. Lastname" especially the older ones.  I don't correct them anymore, as I've found this can be offensive to patients.  They know I'm an NP, but they call me Dr. anyway as that is what they prefer to do.  The rest of my patients call me by my first name or simply "Mr. Lastname."  I've learned that to many patients, "Dr." is a title for whoever is a provider.  Others feel using first name only is too informal.  It tends to be the younger patients that use first name only.

 

 

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I use my first name.

 

Some of the residents keep trying to introduce me as "Dr. Greenmood" because they think it's less confusing for the patients, but I told them it's actually more confusing, since I then have to correct them. :-)

 

If I get an especially forgetful patient or someone who needs a little extra TLC, I write "Greenmood, PA-C" and my pager number on the whiteboard in the room.

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Im usually "PA (my last name)" but "The PA" has been what everyone is calling me since I'm the only PA in my department. We have 6 NPs and me.

 

Sent from my S5 Active...Like you care...

This. "Hi, I'm PA Smith, I'll be taking care of you today". If they say "What?", I say "I'm one of the PAs here and I'll be taking care of you.". Things usually end there. I tried the "I'm Ms. Smith, I'm a PA" routine but that often derailed the conversation toward me explaining the profession for a few minutes, the patient being confused about if I was actually capable of taking care of them, and me having one more burst blood vessel to add to my neurosis induced eye twitches.

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Guest Paula

When I worked ER and sat at the station right across from one of the treatment rooms I was occasionally called "Hey, you". "Why are you scowling at me"? 

 

Then I realized that even tho I'm usually a happy person, smile a lot, that when I'm deep in thought and dictating, I would look up at the patient, who was watching me, and I was squinting my eyes and furrowing my brow and I was trying to remember a certain medical term.

 

Oh well.   I would just apologize and close the glass doors and draw the curtains. 

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I introduce my self by my first name, say "I'm a Physician Assistant working with Dr X today"...when I was in Family Med, once folks got to know me, I was called Dr S, despite people being politely asked not to call me that - I was their "doctor" in their eyes (I was the only gig in town at the time).  Parents also felt it was more polite for their kids to use the title vice just my first name.  If someone calls me Dr in the ED now, I just say "I'm a Mr - but please just use my first name".

 

SK

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  • 2 weeks later...

I always introduce myself as "Hi, I'm Jane. I am a Physician Assistant. What are we working on today?"

I have a name tag with my name and PA-C on it but I always say the full Physician Assistant.

Sometimes I get questions about what is PA, etc. My military folks know right away.

 

I worked with a PA who had a PhD and insisted on being called Doctor. He is a numbskull and mirror lover.

 

You can have a PhD in Ancient Egyptian Heiroglyphics so the PhD does not ever give a PA the right to be called Doctor in a clinical setting. It is just wrong.

I would always correct his patients when they saw me and remind them that he is a PA, not a medical doctor.

 

So, identify yourself correctly each time is my mantra. Wear a nametag. Don't ever put yourself in a position to have the patient think you are something you are not.

My MAs CANNOT identify themselves as nurses - EVER.

 

My two cents

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I never use the word assistant ever. it is not on my cv, business cards, etc. They all say PA.

The direction the profession is officially taking is to call ourselves PA not physician assistant. I also never say " I am Dr xyz's PA" as some folks do. I work alone. I have a collaborating physician of record who reviews my charts within a month but has zero input into my pt care in real time.

I will have my doctorate in less than 2 months, but will not introduce myself as Dr Emedpa at work, although everything with my name on it will say Emedpa, PA,. DHSc.

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