Early Detection of ASD is the Staple of Quality Care

[KAWelch]

Hello there! My name is Katelyn and I am a PA student at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.  I have recently been finishing up my graduate project about bringing awareness to midlevel practitioners about early screening and detection of autism spectrum disorders.  The goal of this project is to focus on how early screening and detection of ASD is the staple of quality care for our patients.  Early detection can help our patients to receive the most appropriate interventions as early as possible, which in turn can help to lower costs and the degree/severity of the disorders in the future.  My project includes the latest statistics/research, what signs to look for and when, and overviews of several screening techniques that can be applied in your practice.  My goal is to create awareness and familiarize you with different forms of screening, so that we as midlevel providers will feel more comfortable utilizing these methods with our patients. I have created a website that highlights these areas I have researched and am looking forward to sharing this with all of you.  Please feel free to share your experiences and/or other methods that you have found useful in your practice.

Here is the link to my website! There is a very short survey in the last tab of the website if you would be willing to answer a few questions about my project after viewing the website, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you all!     

http://earlydetectionofasd.weebly.com/

[camoman1234]

Please stop using mid-level. Good luck in school and your project! :)

[Boatswain2PA]

Use the term "mid-level" all you want.  ""more than a nurse, less than a doctor" is how Dr. Eugene Stead, the founding father of the PA profession, described us.  Sounds like a "mid-level" to me.

Okay Katelyn, beautiful web-site.  But is there ANY good data that identifying autism early can produce better outcomes?  What are the better outcomes defined as?

 

[camoman1234]

34 minutes ago, Boatswain2PA said:

Use the term "mid-level" all you want.  ""more than a nurse, less than a doctor" is how Dr. Eugene Stead, the founding father of the PA profession, described us.  Sounds like a "mid-level" to me.

Okay Katelyn, beautiful web-site.  But is there ANY good data that identifying autism early can produce better outcomes?  What are the better outcomes defined as?

 

https://beaphysicianassistant.com/blog/2016/10/11/where-did-pas-come-from-a-brief-look-at-our-roots

I would disagree, I cannot find that quote, but please correct me if I am wrong. Anyways, even if Dr. Stead did say this, the verbiage is out of date and does not represent the PA's of today (my opinion). 

[MCHAD]

44 minutes ago, Boatswain2PA said:

Use the term "mid-level" all you want.  ""more than a nurse, less than a doctor" is how Dr. Eugene Stead, the founding father of the PA profession, described us.  Sounds like a "mid-level" to me.

Okay Katelyn, beautiful web-site.  But is there ANY good data that identifying autism early can produce better outcomes?  What are the better outcomes defined as?

 

My supervising doc is in my clinic for 6-8 hours 2 days a month.  Sure he's there if I need a consult but docs call or collaborate with other docs on patients all the time too...when they get another opinion are docs providing mid-level care? The care that is expected that I provide my patients is the same level of care as any doc in my clinic.  I'll accept "mid-level paid" provider, but I'm a provider that is expected to provide care at nothing less than "full level". 

[Boatswain2PA]

Correct, Dr. Stead didn't actually say it, but it was the title of a seminal article in a national magazine about the fledgling PA profession.  

You don't like the term mid-level, don't use it.  But don't tell me, or someone else, not to use it.  There's not shame in not being a physician, but more than a nurse.  

[camoman1234]

15 hours ago, Boatswain2PA said:

Correct, Dr. Stead didn't actually say it, but it was the title of a seminal article in a national magazine about the fledgling PA profession.  

You don't like the term mid-level, don't use it.  But don't tell me, or someone else, not to use it.  There's not shame in not being a physician, but more than a nurse.  

Never said there is any shame, I am very proud of being a PA, but the term "mid-level" does not represent what "WE" do as PA's. The reason I said don't use the term "mid-level" is it gives our profession a bad name and that is exactly why patients ask "when will you be a full doctor?" Mid-level does NOT represent "full scope"/"at the top" and if you would like to stay in the middle please do, but do not try and drag all of us that want to move this profession in a direction that it should be. 

[Boatswain2PA]

That's your opinion.  Most people differ.

Cards PAs don't place stents, they assist in surgery and in clinic/hospital.
CT PAs don't do CABG's, they assist in surgery and in clinic/hospital.
Ortho PAs don't do the total joints, they assist in surgery and in clinic/hospital.
General surgery PAs don't do bowel resections, they assist in surgery and clinic/hospital.
Neuro PAs don't evacuate subdural hematomas, they assist in surgery and clinic/hospital.

I understand that there is not a great difference between what a family physician and an experienced family PA does, but that's not the entirety of the profession.  Most PAs actually do assist.

And we are still more than a nurse, but not a physician.  Sounds like a mid-level to me.  
 

[HoundsfieldHero]

Aside from not directly performing surgery, PA's pretty much have the same scope of practice as MD's. The term "Mid level" is antiquated and misrepresents the profession.