So how many of you have had this happen...

[Doc Savage]

Person A introduces you to Person B

 

Person A

"So Mr. X here is in PA school!"

 

Person B to you

"Oh wow you are going to be a PA! That is a great Job! You do not have to be on call and all you have to worry about is coughs, colds and Back pain! You get your malpractice insurance paid for you because you will never be doing any risky procedures! Kudos man! Your family will love the hours! Monday though Friday 9 - 5 at the clinic."

 

Person C out of nowhere interjects

"Man why did you choose PA, you know there are a lot more nursing (RN) jobs out there, and you would make about the same."

 

Person B again to you

"I thought about going for a PA degree once, but I did not like the idea of working under someone else's license and having to prescribe under their name."

 

Person C

"Ya I would not like being monitored all the time and having someone looking over my shoulders while I am working"

 

The following conversations were real... and it was not a elevator full of healthcare ignorant people. It was a hospital, and the participants were nurses. I guess I must divulge that I am "Mr. X"

 

So how is it that these healthcare workers are so misinformed? Also if they are that misinformed what the heck does the general public think we do?

 

I tried to fire back with what I know firsthand but it was like a fountain and spew up all around me and before I knew it they were all gone. I missed the chance to set them straight.

 

What can I do as a student to educate the staff/hospital on PA's and what we can do? I hope to work in this hospital and want the staff to know I am available and what I am availible for. I want to do Critical Care eventually (Central Lines, chest tubes, Balloon pumps, CRRT, Swans, etc.) If they think I can not even give out meds without someone breathing over my neck then how the heck are they gonna see me doing all these things. Should I just go back into the military where I have seen PA's do all the above?

Or better yet should I just go find EMEDPA and become his padawan :=D:

[MikeyBoy]

And you could say, "I thought about going for a Nursing degree once, but I did not like the idea of cleaning up bedpans/being bossed around/wearing tacky scrub tops/etc. all day."

 

I take that back, but, it's essentially along the same line of condescending comments. Your going to be faced with this obviously for the rest of your career. Just calmly say "I practice medicine. On my own license, DEA, NPI, etc. I would be happy to correct your misconceptions about the PA profession if you would like?".

 

It's kind of like arguing on an online forum- who really wins? You can't convince every simpleton out there that PAs are here to stay. Let your medicine do the talking for you, and if in an instance when you can educate someone, jump at it.

[EMEDPA]

or better yet should i just go find emedpa and become his padawan :=d:

 

feel the empa force it is all around you...it is in all things...there is no try, there is only do or do not....

 

In regards to your original post...the best revenge is living well and enjoying life....when you are done with school consider a residency and/or seek out places that know what we can do...hopefully in the not too distant future we will be able to do it as physician associates which will clear up a lot of confusion....

[Just Steve]

So nurses are commenting how they would not want to work under someone else's license...I guess the mirror in the staff bathroom is broken.

 

Jealousy is a strange beast that can raise it's head in a wide variety of ways. Times like that it can be best to look at your wrist followed by a "man, look at the time, I gotta go...have a good day." Then in a few months when you are all done with school and have a job in ICU, quietly enjoy writing orders for them to carry out. :-)

 

If it's any consolation at all...I have been a paramedic for many years. I spent my last four years with the same company, working with the same group of friends. Once I got picked up for PA school...the herd divorced me. No more invites for barbeques, no more text messages of "we're at xxxxxx bar, come have a drink" It's like I never existed. Freaking stings like a champ but that's life. As our school talks about...role transition. It's a real thing

[andersenpa]

My only advice is that after a while as a PA, you will have a stock answer for every ignorant question/comment.

ALWAYS answer pleasantly. It is easy to get angered by the "hating" (even if it does come from ignorance) but if you come at them with anger your comments won't be received.

[Doc Savage]

My only advice is that after a while as a PA, you will have a stocm answer for every ignorant question/comment.

ALWAYS answer pleasantly. It is easy to get angered by the "hating" (even if it does come from ignorance) but if you come at them with anger your comments won't be received.

 

Well I wanted to "Darth Vader" style force choke the one that said all I will have to worry about it cough, colds and back pain... if that was the case they could have shaved about 15 months of of my didatic.

 

I have always been polite to other non-healthcare worker poeple who were misinformed or curious... but some how It got to me that these are healthcare workers and I am in a very PA friendly state... They should know better... I guess all I can do is politely inform with my canned answer for each thing I know is not true.

 

I know PA's Take call!

 

I know PA's see less critical patients, but that does not mean just coughs and colds.

 

I know nurses make a lot... but PA's make more with equal experience.

 

I know we need an SP but that does not mean he is breathing over my shoulder. Here where I live he could be 100's of miles away with no other providers around.

 

And the license thing I can just show them my license and DEA # and NPI #

 

Is it there is just too much inconsistency with PA priveledges or what we are aloud to do? Has anything I stated not true and just fluff from our school professors?

[Ernie]

As long as you are happy, who cares what they think?

[showard873]

I am an official padawan of EMEDPA :) and VERY grateful too! Lol!

[AlteredBeast]

They aren't ignorant, they are purposely making those comments because something about the PA profession irks them. I'm only a student and I've heard numerous nurses say these types of passive agressive things. They know darn well they aren't behing honest with those statements, especially if they work in a hospital that uses PA's. PA profession is new but not THAT new, they know whats up.