Jump to content

PA Ionizing Radiation Bill - Please Read.


Guest scollins2

Recommended Posts

Guest scollins2

(reposted email correspondance from Heather Trafton, MS, PA-C)

 

Attention PAs! Ionizing Radiation Bill - Important Update Fluoroscopy Bill Hearing set for July 28

Contact Your Legislators Now! Attention Massachusetts PAs:

 

A critical piece of legislation is set to be heard in at the State House later this month and MAPA needs your help! The bill, H 2178 , would allow PAs who have completed a course in radiation safety to perform procedures that use ionizing radiation, including fluoroscopy, as delegated by a supervising physician. The hearing will be on July 28th in the Public Health Committee.

 

It is extremely important that legislators on the Public Health Committee hear from PAs in their districts so they know to vote "yes" on H 2178 . Please click the link below to send a message to your legislator urging support of this bill.

 

Currently, even PAs who have extensive training in radiation safety through their hospitals are not permitted by law to perform procedures that use ionizing radiation. Passing this bill will improve patient care by assuring that qualified PAs can perform radiological procedures, including fluoroscopy, when medically necessary.

 

When you click the link below, you will be taken to a page on the AAPA's Legislative Action Center where you can send an e-mail directly to your legislator. Don't worry if you're not sure who your legislator is. Simply enter your zip code and the Legislative Action Center will automatically pull up your legislator's contact information.

 

We have prepared a sample message for you to use, but please consider personalizing your message before sending it. If you can add details such as where in the district you live, what type of medicine you practice, or how this bill would impact your practice, that will make your e-mail all the more effective.

 

Thank you for your time and support of the PA profession!

 

Sincerely,

 

Heather Trafton, MS, PA-C

Legislative Chair

Massachusetts Association of Physician Assistants

 

http://capwiz.com/aapa/issues/alert/?alertid=13736881&type=ST&show_alert=1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
Guest scollins2

The Bill was filed by Representative James E. Valliee on January 14, 2009 and was publicly heard on July 28th. However the joint committee on Public Health has not considered this bill during an executive session; and as a result, it remains in the Committee to date.

 

Further bulletins as events warrent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

Hmm well I can't I say I agree with all PA's having fluro rights. Come on hospital training? How many PA's know the difference between a REM and RAD. Now I agree that you trained IR PA's or RPA's have that training via personal training by a radiologist. But there is a reason why PA's have issues even working in nuclear medicine. Most doctors are not even allowed to inject radioactive material unless they are on the facility license. The point is that just because your an MD / PA / NP doesn't mean you know how many REMs that 8 mCi of Ga67 Citrate just cost your patient in there lifetime dose. I have seen surgeons give there patients burns from a heavy foot petal in the OR. Please educate me on what kind of "hospital training" we are talking about so I could support this bill.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Correct me if I am wrong, but 8mCi Ga67 (which would be a pretty big dose, I think) would yield, in form of gamma, 2.90 RAD <--> rem, (whole body),which converts in new terms to 2.90 Gy or 0.029Sv, which yields approx 0.008 % increase in chance of contracting cancer during the patient's lifetime.

Is that not right?

 

I am dredging up old nuclear submarine medicine data here.

 

davis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm well I can't I say I agree with all PA's having fluro rights. Come on hospital training? How many PA's know the difference between a REM and RAD. Now I agree that you trained IR PA's or RPA's have that training via personal training by a radiologist. But there is a reason why PA's have issues even working in nuclear medicine. Most doctors are not even allowed to inject radioactive material unless they are on the facility license. The point is that just because your an MD / PA / NP doesn't mean you know how many REMs that 8 mCi of Ga67 Citrate just cost your patient in there lifetime dose. I have seen surgeons give there patients burns from a heavy foot petal in the OR. Please educate me on what kind of "hospital training" we are talking about so I could support this bill.

 

How many PA's know the difference between a Rem and Rad.......all of them I would hope.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds about right rcdavis, but don't forget the target to ratio for each organ as well. Remember in tissue with air, that photon flight increases causing more penetration. But the average sounds pretty good. But you have to also consider how many other exposures they are having before the roughly 3 day half lives go by. Most does is causes damage as especially if the body doesn't have time to heal, hence the short term cumulative of radiation is greater than the long term.

 

Smitty I can only speak about the MD's and PA's I have worked with in Texas, and you are lucky if they know the half life of the isotope. Let alone how it is made, or how total body dose it measured.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

do you know what is going on with this legislation? I am currently working in a private practice where we use fluoroscopy, and I need clarification on whether or not I am allowed to do this as a PA. any info greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

PS I would also like to know what kind of oversight a private practice should have if they are utilizing fluoroscopy (for UGIs) in their day-to-day practice. what agency (should) oversee this? OSHA? ARRT? JCAHO?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to the Physician Assistant Forum! This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn More