The Benefits of Changing our Title -- The Time is NOW!

[corpsman89]

I know the topic has been discussed here multiple times, but I think it helps not to lose sight of such an important subject and I wanted to add something about it.

I think the majority of PAs would agree that the title of Physician Assistant does NOT represent our current scope of practice. That the title of Physician Assistant does NOT help our legislative progression. And that the title of Physician Assistant does NOT allow the public to view us as an equal provider to Nurse Practitioners.

To me it is perfectly rationale for policy makers and patients to view PAs as inferior to NPs simply because of the “assistant” in our title. Which is why we need this change so much right now. Basically, in order to achieve our legislative goals we HAVE to have our title changed, because if we don’t, law makers, NPs, as well as MD/DOs have the very best argument against us—we’re just assistants.

Now on to something a bit different.

One gripe I currently have is that AAPA does virtually no advertising about PAs. I am not sure what AAPAs budget is and what they can and cannot do as far as advertising but I have seen none what so ever. No information to public about how our education is so much more superior (on average) and standardized compared to NPs. Nothing about how we test (currently) every 10 years, no information about our prior experience before PA school. No information about how many hours of training we get while in school.

Where am I going with this? I think that if we as a profession finally banded together and decided to change the name of the profession we would begin to get a lot of traffic in the news. This obviously would not be all good, but I really think the majority would be positive. At the very least, it would create a conversation about what PAs role are in healthcare. If we were able to get this passed and PAs agreed on a title we would generate a much greater discussion on who we are as PAs and that discussion would be based on our role in health care, our knowledge, and our scope—all things we desperately need the public and lawmakers to understand right now.

What do you think?

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

Agreed. As always, your biggest opposition will be within the profession. The day it (announce it will be supported) happens though, I’ll give $1k to the PAC.

[Miaow]

I agree. What has been the most agreed upon title, Physican Associate? 

[Guest HanSolo]

1 hour ago, Miaow said:

I agree. What has been the most agreed upon title, Physican Associate? 

Likely. It’s already in use elsewhere. I’m not opposed to Clinical Associate either. Remove the “physician” aspect of it all together to avoid any confusion. 

[marktheshark89]

I like Medical Practitioner. 

[DiggySRNA]

5 hours ago, HanSolo said:

Likely. It’s already in use elsewhere. I’m not opposed to Clinical Associate either. Remove the “physician” aspect of it all together to avoid any confusion. 

Some hospitals in Massachusetts label their CNAs and unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) as Clinical Associates. 

 

16 hours ago, corpsman89 said:

I know the topic has been discussed here multiple times, but I think it helps not to lose sight of such an important subject and I wanted to add something about it.

...law makers, NPs, as well as MD/DOs have the very best argument against us—we’re just assistants.

Now on to something a bit different.

One gripe I currently have is that AAPA does virtually no advertising about PAs.

What do you think?

Prior to applying to PA school, I was convinced that the issue was primarily AAPA trying to remain cordial with their Physician-influenced legislative counterparts and not step on any toes....BUT it goes deeper, much deeper than that.

It was once I got to nursing school it became apparent that nurses are trained from the first day of our studies to think BEYOND the clinical settings and place focus on health policy, legislation, nursing practice laws, and informatics. In my program there are 4 semesters worth of Professional Nursing Practice (I see it as fluff...but it's those fluff courses that drives the profession). They understand not everyone wants to be a clinician but want to serve a different purpose within the profession. I find it ironic because every week there's a new type of nurse...some I've never heard about prior to the program.

Nurses are being graduated to go into these areas whereas when I looked at PA schools and their curriculum, everything was medically related...there were no classes on PA practice/policy making which is a disservice to the profession IMO. If PA schools incorporated those courses...can you imagine what could be accomplished? Name change, increased reimbursements... the profession would evolve and be unstoppable. 

As EMEDPA stated in one of his other posts, it would be those dual RN, PA-Cs that will have the greatest influence on PA practice laws and the understanding of how to pursue those changes. Right now, PAs are underrepresented in legislation because (don't quote me - I just made a number up)  for every 1 PA, you'll find there are 10+ nurses on the executive board.

Now, as a long time lurker on this forum I see this topic resurface every now and then and everyone has the same recurring idea (name change)... that's good and all but what I've notice is that no one plans on actually going into the legislative sector as a PA to create those changes. There's an old saying "If you want change, be the change you want." We all can't wait for AAPA. We've been waiting 50+ years.

[ProSpectre]

I agree that a name change is an important step for the advancement of the profession, but one common rebuke I often hear is the challenge/cost of changing the legislation in every state that refers to "physician assistant" specifically. Is this a valid concern, or is there a workaround wherein a document could be drafted that changes the title and retroactively applies to all other instances of the physician assistant name in legislation? Or is it something that will need to be supported by the AAPA HOD, and then slowly changed state by state?

For what it's worth, I think Physician Associate is the easiest transition if we are to keep the same initials, but I prefer Medical Practitioner as the option most descriptive of what we do. 

[MedicinePower]

Assistant Physician or Associate Physician. Full stop.

[Cideous]

24 years now I have been advocating for Medical Practitioner.  Nothing ever happens.  I've given up hope.  For some reason, those in leadership are bound to the "PA" letters.  It's ridiculous and does not even come close to accurately describing what we do.  I am no Physician's "assistant".  I talk to my doc once a month because it is required by law....that's it.  Our name has been and always will be a joke.  Mark my words, NP's will steamroll us as a profession and it is 90% because of our stupid name.

[LKPAC]

15 hours ago, MedicinePower said:

 Associate Physician. Full stop.

There you go! 

[Guest HanSolo]

Associate Physician implies we are physicians. We’d be replacing one misleading title for another. 

[ProSpectre]

20 minutes ago, HanSolo said:

Associate Physician implies we are physicians. We’d be replacing one misleading title for another. 

I agree, I think the ideal title for the profession would untie us from both "assistant" and "physician", since PAs are neither. The only reason I think Physician Associate (NOT Associate Physician) would be a fair compromise is because it has historically been used for the PA profession and would keep the PA initials, which seems to be a sticking point for many. Physician Associate isn't grammatically correct, but it is an improvement over the current title. I personally don't even care to keep the PA initials if a better title was agreed on, but I think it may make the change easier to swallow for many PAs. 

[LadyNichiavelli]

Physician Associate would also unite us with our European counterparts.

[SoCal_PA]

I would gladly donate to this cause. "Assistant" needs to go ASAP

[ProSpectre]

59 minutes ago, SoCal_PA said:

I would gladly donate to this cause. "Assistant" needs to go ASAP

Paula (user on this forum) was addressing this a few months back, looking for leaders in their respective states looking to sponsor a resolution for title modernization (she said Wisconsin is planning on submitting something May 2018). Short of actively working with your state's chapter on this issue as she is, I think donating money to the PA PAC is the best shot we have at making these kinds of changes. Although I'm just a PA student, I have already donated to the PAC this year, and I hope others will do the same. 

 

Here's the thread in case anyone is interested.  

 

[Marinejiujitsu]

We are stupid to think anyone is going to change our title for us. More people just need to start introducing themself as physician associate then wait for the trickle effect. But we should agree on a title, maybe an AAPA poll then just do it.

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[jwells78]

I am all for career advancement, strengthening our profession in the public eye and building our platform to success in the political system.

 

But if I may be so bold---

The entry requirements to PA school couldnt get much more lax, producing younger, greener providers---- yet (most PAs on here) want more responsibility and are pushing to distance the profession from the ONE professional colleague we should be diligently trying to strengthen our relationship with?

Seems to me that we should spend less time worrying about initials behind our names, and more time proving that we deserve it; more time educating the public with a campaign across the states;  more time making ourselves indispensable;  more time keeping our friends close and our enemies closer;  maybe a little more time launching ourselves into some leadership/public limelight and finding our share at the table instead of squabbling amongst ourselves all the time over trivial nonsense.

What's in a name that can't be ruined by laziness, ineptitude or ignorance?

The name literaly means nothing without the impetus behind it to provide the strength of legacy.

 

I see a name change as an awesome idea in theory, but then you take into account that after 40+ years people still don't know WTH a PA-C is.....

Sounds like an amazing waste of resources that could be better used elsewhere...

 

 

[ProSpectre]

2 hours ago, jwells78 said:

I am all for career advancement, strengthening our profession in the public eye and building our platform to success in the political system.

 

But if I may be so bold---

The entry requirements to PA school couldnt get much more lax, producing younger, greener providers---- yet (most PAs on here) want more responsibility and are pushing to distance the profession from the ONE professional colleague we should be diligently trying to strengthen our relationship with?

Seems to me that we should spend less time worrying about initials behind our names, and more time proving that we deserve it; more time educating the public with a campaign across the states;  more time making ourselves indispensable;  more time keeping our friends close and our enemies closer;  maybe a little more time launching ourselves into some leadership/public limelight and finding our share at the table instead of squabbling amongst ourselves all the time over trivial nonsense.

What's in a name that can't be ruined by laziness, ineptitude or ignorance?

The name literaly means nothing without the impetus behind it to provide the strength of legacy.

 

I see a name change as an awesome idea in theory, but then you take into account that after 40+ years people still don't know WTH a PA-C is.....

Sounds like an amazing waste of resources that could be better used elsewhere...

 

 

A change in title isn't about distancing ourselves from physicians; it's about recognizing that PAs are not the assistants of physicians, but rather a distinct profession that should have a name reflective of what they do. The name change itself isn't about gaining more responsibility, but about acknowledging the responsibility PAs already hold and have earned over the last 50 years of practice (as well as remaining competitive in a market where PAs are outnumbered 2:1 by NPs). 

I agree with your statement about educating the public about the profession (regardless of our title), but you don't think that it would be easier with a name more descriptive of what PAs actually do day in and day out? Nowhere has anyone said that once the name is changed then PAs can rest on their laurels and cease providing the same excellent care they have for the last 5 decades. 

The "waste of resources" thing seems to be the same common complaint people have been making for the last 20 years every time the naming issue has come up.

[MedicinePower]

22 hours ago, HanSolo said:

Associate Physician implies we are physicians. We’d be replacing one misleading title for another. 

Aren't we? Other countries have three levels of physicians- assistant physician, physician, and physician scientist. They differ by the length of their study and post-graduate residencies. By any measure we would meet the requirements for assistant physician while an MD/DO would be physician.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistant_doctor_(China)

[corpsman89]

On 12/18/2017 at 8:13 PM, jwells78 said:

I am all for career advancement, strengthening our profession in the public eye and building our platform to success in the political system.

 

But if I may be so bold---

The entry requirements to PA school couldnt get much more lax, producing younger, greener providers---- yet (most PAs on here) want more responsibility and are pushing to distance the profession from the ONE professional colleague we should be diligently trying to strengthen our relationship with?

Seems to me that we should spend less time worrying about initials behind our names, and more time proving that we deserve it; more time educating the public with a campaign across the states;  more time making ourselves indispensable;  more time keeping our friends close and our enemies closer;  maybe a little more time launching ourselves into some leadership/public limelight and finding our share at the table instead of squabbling amongst ourselves all the time over trivial nonsense.

What's in a name that can't be ruined by laziness, ineptitude or ignorance?

The name literaly means nothing without the impetus behind it to provide the strength of legacy.

 

I see a name change as an awesome idea in theory, but then you take into account that after 40+ years people still don't know WTH a PA-C is.....

Sounds like an amazing waste of resources that could be better used elsewhere...

 

 

Personally, I don't think many PAs are advocating for independence because we WANT independence but rather as a defensive response to NPs being granted independence. We see this as a threat because it makes us VERY disadvantage on paper. We all know in reality we have NPs hands down but definitely not on paper--which sadly is the most important. But yes, we also need to stop accepting college graduates with virtually no real experience--this is NOT what he PA profession was founded on. 

As far as names: 

Realistically: Physician Associate. Ideally: Medical Practitioner. 

Physician Associate (PA):

     1) It would be the easiest change. 

     2) Puts in line with our UK counterparts. 

     3) is a little more appropriate

Medical Practitioner (MP): 

     1) In line with our NP counterparts

     2) Nurses practice medicine in the NURSING model = Nurse practitioner. MPs practice medicine in the Medical model = Medical Practitioner. In other words the name is absolutely appropriate. 

     3) Gets rid of "Physician" so we stop rubbing them the wrong way and stop the confusion. 

     4) With this name we totally disconnect our selves from "PA", which has been (in my opinion) plagued by complete and absolute misunderstanding of what we actually do. 

     

[CAdamsPAC]

My job title for 18 years was Physician Associate. In order to hold this position I was required to be a graduate of an accredited Physician Assistant Program, hold or be eligible for a Connecticut Physician Assistant License, a valid National Commission for the Certification of Physician Assistants certification. Let's restart flogging this dead horse , again!

[wdtpac]

DMS (sorry to those diagnostic medical sonographers out there!)

We need to completely revamp our education from the ground up and award the doctorate title. As far as hours for graduate education, we meet or exceed many doctoral programs, yet we are still called assistant. In order to do this, I would agree that we need a more structured undergraduate requirements more in line with the biological sciences before entry (i.e. Full 2 sem org, biochem, pathogenic micro, immunology, histology...). I would also be amiable to mimicking and building on the idea of Lynchburg College of a 9 month residency directly after the program or 12 months for we already out in the field.  Make our national certifying test at the level of difficulty/length as family medicine board exams. 

[wdtpac]

TBH, though physician associate is a step up from assistant, I don't believe it is enough of a shift to make meaningful change in legislative efforts (or to the public at large). 

[StevieK]

Wow, I am so glad we are all at least talking about this.  YES, I think it can really make a difference.  Such change involves persuasion of politicians, who may have studied "medicine for poets", as well as a rather anti-intellectual society.  A simple name change could indeed help clarify the position for many, and enable sensible legislation.

The term ..."associate" makes sense to a lot of people, and reflects changes in the profession and in the law. (the redefinition of "supervising" to "collaborating" physician for example).

The general public far too readily references the "physician'S assistant".  Hearing that, I can't help but think of "magician's assistant".   Fishnet stockings anyone ?

[Marinejiujitsu]

But what if patients start calling us the physician's associate? Hmmm.

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