quietmedic Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Basically, I was offered a side job as a cardiac stress technician...running stress tests. Obviously, this is sub-par work for a PA, but at the moment it would help for some extra cash between clinic shifts. Obviously, this is well below my scope of practice, and I assume I would not be covered by the company for PA malpractice, (unless I could, or must, legally negotiate that somehow). Also assume i could only do it in the sates I am a PA in, though if I am out of state...could I practice as if I was not a licensed PA (in that state) and just act as a cardiac stress technician? A little confused by the legalities involved. What do y'all think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj11 Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 You have to keep the boundaries clear. I have known NPs who went back to the hospital to work as RNs because the pay was better. I have heard of them, in their RN role of overstepping their boundaries too. Can't do that. So as a cardiac stress technician, you have to turn off your PA brain and never do anything that a technician wouldn't do. Then it doesn't matter if you are a PA or now the laws for a technician apply. But if you ever voice a diagnosis or change and order, you are out of bounds and in deep shit. Now, I am sure that some will come here and say that a PA should never work below their level. However, I know that life can be complicated and sometimes we do have to things that we never imagined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acebecker Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 I volunteer as a basic EMT. But I maintain that license, so maybe not the same issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted November 15, 2016 Administrator Share Posted November 15, 2016 I volunteer as a basic EMT. But I maintain that license, so maybe not the same issue. Me too. I also teach as an EMT instructor/evaluator. Half the pay, but trivial paperwork, fun students, and not terribly mentally challenging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicinePower Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Look up the do's and don't of being such a technician. Make sure you do the do's and don't do the don'ts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moestown1016 Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Basically, I was offered a side job as a cardiac stress technician...running stress tests. Obviously, this is sub-par work for a PA, but at the moment it would help for some extra cash between clinic shifts. Obviously, this is well below my scope of practice, and I assume I would not be covered by the company for PA malpractice, (unless I could, or must, legally negotiate that somehow). Also assume i could only do it in the sates I am a PA in, though if I am out of state...could I practice as if I was not a licensed PA (in that state) and just act as a cardiac stress technician? A little confused by the legalities involved. What do y'all think? I run stress tests in a cardiac stress lab on a part time basis. New standards (from insurance I believe) have made it to where my group must have at least a Midlevel present (used to be run by the nurse). I get $71/hr to do this. Make sure they aren't playing you. The techs that work the lab with me I'm pretty sure make $15/hr or less. I do have cardiology experience but there's always new stuff to learn. Just check around. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Febrifuge Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 This always seems to me to be kind of a damned if you do/ damned if you don't kind of proposition. You have your license and scope as a PA, so if for some reason a malpractice attorney ever has reason to scrutinize your actions, they might well ask about why you didn't recognize x, consider y, or just go ahead and do z. Meanwhile, you're supposedly acting only in the capacity of a tech, so you need to turn off your PA Brain, as noted above. Even if things are crystal clear and boundaries are set, I'd still worry about weird random stuff happening. I'd need way more than tech money to offset that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillycibin Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I wouldn't sign any contracts that specify you as a cardiac stress technician. It would be better if it said more to the effect of you are a physician assistant running cardiac stress tests. And do you have reasonable education and experience for the demands of the job? We have EKG techs at our hospital, but I sure as heck can hook a person up to an EKG machine and do an EKG myself. But while I can do a FAST exam with an ultrasound, I shouldn't try and be an ultrasound tech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietmedic Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 I wouldn't sign any contracts that specify you as a cardiac stress technician. It would be better if it said more to the effect of you are a physician assistant running cardiac stress tests. And do you have reasonable education and experience for the demands of the job? We have EKG techs at our hospital, but I sure as heck can hook a person up to an EKG machine and do an EKG myself. But while I can do a FAST exam with an ultrasound, I shouldn't try and be an ultrasound tech. Yeah, actually I used to do stress tests as a PA. Perhaps i'll have to work as a PA to avoid any legal pitfalls... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted November 20, 2016 Moderator Share Posted November 20, 2016 I run stress tests in a cardiac stress lab on a part time basis. New standards (from insurance I believe) have made it to where my group must have at least a Midlevel present (used to be run by the nurse). I get $71/hr to do this. Make sure they aren't playing you. The techs that work the lab with me I'm pretty sure make $15/hr or less. I do have cardiology experience but there's always new stuff to learn. Just check around. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk our local lab uses PA and NP to supervise the test CAN NOT BE A TECH OR NURSE ANY MORE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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