Need help with writing an article on PA's!

[Joelseff]

Hi all,

My company has asked me to submit a 500-600 word article to our local paper about PA's. I don't know where to begin! Lol. I would like to use it as a platform in promoting PA's in our area especially since NPs dominate this region and my company for that matter. Though in the past 2 years, they have seen the work PA's do and have since sought out PA's more.

I don't want to slam anyone I just want to show what we PA's bring to the table. Any tips?

Thanks in advance!

 

UPDATE 2/6/17  Final draft. Thanks Sed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What’s a physician assistant (PA)?” I am often asked this question when I introduce myself to a patient.  For those of you reading this, you may be wondering the same thing.  A PA is a medical provider trained in the practice of medicine and they are found in all medical specialties and settings across the country. PAs have been a valuable member of the health care team for more than 50 years.

 

 We do not “assist” physicians as our title may imply. We are medical providers who hold our own licenses and are held to the same high standards as our physician colleagues. Although we are required to have a collaborative relationship with a physician, this does not mean we are tethered at the hip.  Thanks to our rigorous training, we are confident in exercising a great deal of autonomy and in some situations, we can manage our own panel of patients and practice with minimal oversight.

 

Our history began in the mid 1960’s when there was a shortage of primary care doctors.  Dr. Eugene Stead of Duke University Medical Center had the idea of taking a group of military medics, who already possessed a high level of medical training and experience from the Vietnam War, and expanding their education for the purpose of filling the need for medical providers. He used the fast-track physician training curriculum used to supply doctors to the field during World War II as his model, and the PA profession was born.  Since then we have been providing high quality medical care to our patients.

 

Through the years PA education has evolved to keep pace with the ever-changing environment of medicine, but we continue to train in the medical model similar to physicians.  Our training may be truncated compared to traditional medical school, but nonetheless very challenging.

 

Typically, PA students hold a bachelor’s degree and have completed most of the same classes required for medical school.  PA school is typically a 26 month, master’s degree level program. It consists of a one-year didactic phase (on campus class work in medical sciences such as pathophysiology, anatomy, genetics, microbiology, pharmacology and clinical skills etc.), followed by a rigorous year of clinical training.  During the clinical phase, we spend more than 2,000 hours divided into rotations in internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry and OB/GYN.  After graduation, PAs must sit for a national exam known as the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam or PANCE for short.  Then they apply for licensing at the medical board of the state they wish to practice in. This process has historically produced a PA that is a well-rounded general practitioner ready to join a health care team in collaboration with a physician.  Additionally, PAs can participate in formal post graduate residency programs in several specialties for further experience and training in that particular specialty.

 

PAs are required to maintain licensure and certification by completing 100 hours of continuing medical education every 2 years and taking a recertification exam every 10 years, similar to our physician counterparts.

 

In practice, PAs have the ability to diagnose disease and prescribe medications, interpret laboratory, imaging and other diagnostic studies, perform minor surgical procedures and assist in major surgeries.

 

So, “what’s a PA?” If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I would reply “PAs are highly trained medical providers who work with physicians to provide high quality health care.” 

 

For more information on PAs please visit www.aapa.org

 

 

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[Marinejiujitsu]

Write that the PA writing the article is the sexiest man alive.

 

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[rev ronin]

I'd emphasize the diversity of pre-PA experience, masters' degree, and taught to work in teams.

[overthehorizen]

Which paper?

 

The New York Times? Dallas Morning Post? San Francisco Chronicle? Philadelphia Inquirer? Seattle Post-Intelligencer? Washington Post, Miami Herald? Boston Globe? Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, Chicago Sun-Times? 

 

I'm excited to see this article in print. We are finally getting the recognition we have longed for.

[LKPAC]

Please relate that PA education is based on the same model as MDs, not nursing theory.

[Febrifuge]

Make it like click-bait.

 

"You know how somebody doesn't need to be a tenured professor to be a really good college instructor? You know how you don't need to see the lawyer whose name is on the front door to write you a really good business contract, or will? You know how you can get an amazing meal from a chef who didn't train for 25 years in France?

 

"Well, get a load of this: the best-kept secret in modern healthcare. The incredible TRUTH that THEY don't want you to know!

 

"Really excellent medical care doesn't have to come from a doctor."

[SedRate]

Discuss the history of the PA field, on-the-job training that stems off previous work experience, teamwork/collaborative aspect, cost-effectiveness of PAs, master's level training under the medical model, etc.

[rev ronin]

Please relate that PA education is based on the same model as MDs, not nursing theory.

And THAT is why we don't get doctorates: because we'd go back to med school if we wanted to practice at that level! ;-)

[Joelseff]

Which paper?

 

The New York Times? Dallas Morning Post? San Francisco Chronicle? Philadelphia Inquirer? Seattle Post-Intelligencer? Washington Post, Miami Herald? Boston Globe? Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, Chicago Sun-Times? 

 

I'm excited to see this article in print. We are finally getting the recognition we have longed for.

 

It's none of those major publications. its a paper called The Daily Republic. I will post the final draft here for all to read when I get it done. Deadline is March 1st. 

[Joelseff]

Thanks for the input. Yeah I was thinking of making sure that I highlight our education and training etc. How should I address the collaborative relationship? I was thinking of making it more of what we ARE and less of what we ARE NOT.  

 

I am certain it wont be all encompassing and perfectly hitting all the issues we want addressed but I want to get the main things addressed like we are well trained competent providers, we work in a team to provide the best care for the patient etc... Maybe hit up on our history. I see this really as an opportunity for the public (especially the town where I work who is not very familiar with PAs) to be introduced to PAs and who/what we are and ultimately for them to have a good measure of trust when they do decide to see us. 

[charlottew]

I would check to see if AAPA has some sort of Public Relations/FAQ type material that you can crib from. They're the official organization for promoting our profession, after all.

 

Good luck! and thanks for your hard work

[Joelseff]

I would check to see if AAPA has some sort of Public Relations/FAQ type material that you can crib from. They're the official organization for promoting our profession, after all.

 

Good luck! and thanks for your hard work

That's a good idea. Thanks!

 

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[Guest Paula]

Do not mention NPs at all.  It's about PA's.  Don't let an editor add in a sentence about the difference between PAs or NPs.  Read the final version for approval before publishing.  Remember to us PA and correct them if they spell apostrophe s. 

[Joelseff]

I added the article to the first post. Please read and comment. Thanks!

[overthehorizen]

I added the article to the first post. Please read and comment. Thanks!

I would like to thank you for the time and care that you invested in this article. You have produced a nice, well thought out presentation of our profession that accentuates our best and unique strengths. Very much enjoyed reading this and I'm certain that many of the newspaper's readers will now be well informed about our profession and capabilities. Kudos!

[EMEDPA]

I'd emphasize the diversity of pre-PA experience, masters' degree, and taught to work in teams.

"Many PAs hold concurrent licenses as paramedics, nurses, or respiratory therapists, professions which enabled them to step into PA programs already understanding the language and culture of the medical field."

or something similar. the big argument I always hear is "NPs were nurses first" (well, sometimes....). guess what? PAs did something before school too....

[Joelseff]

I updated the article on the first post with the final draft. 

 

E: I wanted t o put that in too but I emphasized more on the general training we have. I was limited in word count. Hopefully i get more opportunities in the future to represent PAs in my neck of the woods. 

[EMEDPA]

good job J