Moderator EMEDPA Posted October 18, 2011 Moderator Share Posted October 18, 2011 they have a better professional lobby than we do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelbeth Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 post deleted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I have a question about PA/NP, and it looks like this is the best place to ask, even though it isn't about NP being called "Dr." My apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere. I am not a PA yet, but am in the process of applying to a couple of schools. My question is one regarding prescription authority. In my state, Kentucky, which is not PA friendly, PAs cannot prescribe scheduled drugs, yet after one year of practice, NPs can, provided they have a DEA license. Can someone explain the logic in that? How is it that a PA who has had 2 semesters of general chemistry, 2 semesters of organic chemistry, and probably upper level biology courses, and has gone through a PA program that mirrors a medical school curriculum (albeit not quite as long) not write a prescription for scheduled drugs, yet a nurse practioner, with maybe two lower-level chemistry courses can? One word- politics. It has nothing to do with reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 A PA doctorate seems to contradict the very roots of what a PA was intended to be: former healthcare professionals who sought higher education in order to practice medicine in collaboration with physicians. What the profession intended to be and what it has become are two different animals. The age, gender distribution, and other demographics of the early PA profession are radically different. PAs have a more well defined role in health care now, and a track record of competence. It is the determination of modern PAs to decide what their terminal degree will be- not history, and not external forces. As for your second point I don't see why a MD/DO would want to "test" for a PA license unless they couldn't match for residency or were an IMG. Each profession has its own right to determine who is qualified to sit for the boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssamalin Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 When I see a patient, I say my name and "I am a Physician Assistant." Pretending I am an MD would be fraud. Using that critical moment to tell a patient I have a doctoral degree especially to deceive them I am an MD would be fraud. I'm a PA, I don't need fraud to distinguish myself, I provide distinguished care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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