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

[Cideous]

Physician associate is stupid.  Let's just be 100% honest, would ANYONE actually choose that name if it were not for the letters PA in it?  Of course not.  It is a stupid name that, once again, incorrectly defines what we do.  I am not an associate of a physician.  I am a practitioner of medicine.  Or Medical Practitioner.  Period.  Forget trying to marry the letters P and A to what we do.  If not, don't waste your time or money, just leave it as it is.  Physician Associate is ridiculous and the general public would laugh at us, not to mention what docs and NP's would think.  And yes, it does matter what they think, in most cases we are being hired by them.

[Joelseff]

I kinda agree with Cideous. I kinda don't like having "Ass" in my title.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

8 hours ago, Joelseff said:

I kinda agree with Cideous. I kinda don't like having "Ass" in my title.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 

I’m not sure why the idea of Clinical Officer isn’t more popular like our independent counterparts in Africa. It’s ideal IMO. No physician in it. Denotes clinical medicine in nature and invokes a thought of wide scope of practice. 

https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/Clinical_officer.html

read that and see if it doesn’t sound like our ideal.

[corpsman89]

Having "clinical" in our title just does not sit well with me. 
"Clinical associate" definitely does not sit well, and to me is almost worse then Physician Assistant!

"Clinical officer" almost sounds like some kind of administrative position. 

"Practitioner" is known now (whether we like it our not) as someone who is a provider. I think utilizing the word practitioner would finally equalize us to NPs, which is honestly what we need for the sake of public perception. Physician associate is better, but Medical Practitioner is about as ideal as it gets in my opinion. 

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

28 minutes ago, corpsman89 said:

Having "clinical" in our title just does not sit well with me. 
"Clinical associate" definitely does not sit well, and to me is almost worse then Physician Assistant!

"Clinical officer" almost sounds like some kind of administrative position. 

"Practitioner" is known now (whether we like it our not) as someone who is a provider. I think utilizing the word practitioner would finally equalize us to NPs, which is honestly what we need for the sake of public perception. Physician associate is better, but Medical Practitioner is about as ideal as it gets in my opinion. 

I don’t advocate for clinica associate either. I think officer and I think about “medical officer” or “warrant officer” or “petty officer,” in the military that marks someone in charge of having expertise in an area. When I think someone is an officer, I think of someone thank deserve respect like a policeman or someone in the military. Thought maybe it was because of my military background, but I guess not since you have the same.

I’m down for medical practitioner. Sounds great. I just think it will be a harder sell than clinical officer since physicians will make the argument they are medical practitioners and thus we cannot legally bar them from using that title, thus we cannot legally protect it.

[Marinejiujitsu]

I'm cool with going to IDC :) raaarrrr. Get some.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

14 minutes ago, Marinejiujitsu said:

I'm cool with going to IDC :) raaarrrr. Get some.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

hey, independent duty clinician, or the like, isn't a bad idea I think! rah

[ProSpectre]

2 hours ago, LT_Oneal_PAC said:

I’m down for medical practitioner. Sounds great. I just think it will be a harder sell than clinical officer since physicians will make the argument they are medical practitioners and thus we cannot legally bar them from using that title, thus we cannot legally protect it.

This is my main concern with Medical Practitioner as a new title for PAs. I think it is one of the strongest options available and makes the most sense relative to what PAs do, but it's a term that currently includes physicians, and I think that would mean much more push-back than some other options.

However, many physicians dislike and discourage use of the term "provider" because it also includes PAs/NPs (and "blurs the lines" in their eyes), so maybe it's reasonable to use that to our advantage in making the change to medical practitioner (the idea that they want to be differentiated from APPs, and already have the protected title "physician").   

[corpsman89]

2 hours ago, ProSpectre said:

This is my main concern with Medical Practitioner as a new title for PAs. I think it is one of the strongest options available and makes the most sense relative to what PAs do, but it's a term that currently includes physicians, and I think that would mean much more push-back than some other options.

However, many physicians dislike and discourage use of the term "provider" because it also includes PAs/NPs (and "blurs the lines" in their eyes), so maybe it's reasonable to use that to our advantage in making the change to medical practitioner (the idea that they want to be differentiated from APPs, and already have the protected title "physician").   

Solid point. 

I think no matter what we do we will face some criticism from practically every area (Physicians, PAs, NPs). I guess the next step would be for the AAPA to put out feelers similar to what they did with OTP to see what our profession would prefer. My guess is that it will be Physician Associate. 

Question: Would there be any issues if PAs just started referring to themselves as Physician Associates instead of waiting on the AAPA to make the move? 

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

It’s not a legally protected term so the state can’t get you, but civil suits are another matter, unless they actually had a degree as a physician associate from Yale. #notalawyer

[Cideous]

I simply introduce myself as "The Provider".  Hi, I'm blah blah, your medical provider today.  I don't have a degree in "provider" and have yet to be called out on it.  It's all about norms.  Adminstration refers to all docs, NP's and PA's as "Providers" where I work.  All emails are addressed to "Providers".  It's a name I associate now more with myself then Physician "Assistant", because once again...I am no ones assistant.... In fact, I just realized that in a lot of cases I actually do introduce myself to patients as their Medical Provider!?  That's funny, it's never really occurred to me that I have been doing that.  No one has said boo yet.  Why?  Because that's what we are, Providers of Medicine, .....Medical Providers....MP's.  :)

[EMEDPA]

my only issue with MP is that it sounds too much like NP....

[CAdamsPAC]

On 12/23/2017 at 5:06 PM, LT_Oneal_PAC said:

It’s not a legally protected term so the state can’t get you, but civil suits are another matter, unless they actually had a degree as a physician associate from Yale. #notalawyer

My job title at Yale-New Haven Hospital was Physician Associate after I graduated for MEDEX/NW Physician Assistant program!

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

21 minutes ago, EMEDPA said:

my only issue with MP is that it sounds too much like NP....

At least I’ll be confused with military police instead of public affairs...

[PACali]

Medical Practioner is better than Physician Associate. 

Having physician/Assistant/Associate in the name is very confusing. We sound like "physician wannabes" You can't get any easier, more professional than a Medical Practioner.

I can guarantee this joke won't exist if we are Medical Practioner  

[PACali]

3 hours ago, EMEDPA said:

my only issue with MP is that it sounds too much like NP....

I wouldn't even need to say MP. I would just say Medical Practioner. 

I never hear physician say "I am a MD" or " I am a DO" to patients. 

[UGoLong]

(the above ad about headache medicines gave me a headache...)

After 50 years, changing a name is pretty much a branding decision; it won’t really change what we do (that is a separate decision.)

• In the branding world, GMAC became Ally Bank; giving up “General Motors Acceptance Corporation” actually broadened the company’s mission and scope.
• Kentucky Fried Chicken became just plain “KFC”, which let them keep their identity and maybe broaden the scope of their products.
• When I was a kid, the doc that put you under was called an “anesthetist.”  Too hard to pronounce, so they went to “anesthesiologist,” letting them pretty much keep their identity, and even use the same initials in their national organization. (What if they had become “narcoleptologists” or something similar?)

So, after 50 years, whatever brand identity we have in the general population is as “PAs.” (Some thanks for that should go out to Jeanie on “ER” and Divya on “Royal Pains,” though the former died of AIDS and the latter decided to go to medical school.) If we were to become “Medical Officers” or whatever, we’d be starting all over. For GMAC – and their advertising budget – not a biggie, but for us, probably a biggie.

So assume you want to keep the same initials. Sure, “assistant” isn’t descriptive. Could do “associate,” could do “adjunct,” or some other noun that starts with an “A.”  As far as the “physician” goes, changing that is a possibility, but it could cost some good will and recognition of our roots.

Or go the KFC route and just be “PAs.”

Your call.

[sk732]

Forgot the first TV PA - Luther on "St Elsewhere" ;-D...

SK

[Jchen14]

Let me tell an anecdote from the other day.

I was talking with my co workers at the hospital the other day and the conversation of our future plans came about. I elaborated that I am pursuing PA school - Stephen, another patient care assistant, chimed in and asked me why I wanted to be, his words not mine, “a physician’s bitch” for the rest of my life. After his comment I was livid. Usually, I can keep a calm head and explain what PAs do and their scope of practice, but I was furious when he condescendingly said this. He added, “why not just become an NP,” to which I responded, “because I don’t have a nursing degree.” I asked him to explain to me why he thought that PAs were a physicians pet and he says that it’s in the name.

Obviously, people, even those that work in the health care setting, still don’t understand what PAs are or what their scope of practice is. Thankfully, the nurses that were working with us backed me up and agreed that PAs and NPs pretty much do the same tasks.

My take on this debate: The title, PA, is misleading. PAs aren’t a physician’s pet, despite the name “physician assistant.” A name change, however, may be confusing to those that already understand what a PA can do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

Changing the name will hurt brand recognition very little, IMHO. Even when I tell other officers I’m a PA, most think I’m public affairs, despite PAs being very prolific in the military. Guarantee most politicians don’t know, which is mainly who we are changing it for anyway so we can move forward legislatively without the word assistant holding us back.

[south]

15 hours ago, EMEDPA said:

my only issue with MP is that it sounds too much like NP....

Oh crap, you're right.  Facepalm.

[ProSpectre]

2 hours ago, LT_Oneal_PAC said:

Changing the name will hurt brand recognition very little, IMHO. Even when I tell other officers I’m a PA, most think I’m public affairs, despite PAs being very prolific in the military. Guarantee most politicians don’t know, which is mainly who we are changing it for anyway so we can move forward legislatively without the word assistant holding us back.

I agree, I don't know that it's worth it to change to a lessor title simply to keep the PA initials for brand recognition purposes. Unfortunately, there is still much confusion about what PAs do, what their scope of practice is today, and how they fit into the health care team. This is partly due to the Physician Assistant title itself, and partly due to the fact that PAs have been continually increasing their scope of practice over the last 50 years, so what they did in 1970 isn't the same as what they can do in 2017.   

Changing to a title that actually represents what we do today, along with an advertising campaign by the AAPA and state chapters during the 1-2 years surrounding the initial change in title, should be enough. After that, when we have to educate patients (and politicians, health care administrators, and even some physicians) on what we do, it would be with a title that is more descriptive and easier to understand, and that has less obfuscation built into the name. 

[EMEDPA]

3 hours ago, LT_Oneal_PAC said:

Changing the name will hurt brand recognition very little, IMHO. Even when I tell other officers I’m a PA, most think I’m public affairs, despite PAs being very prolific in the military. Guarantee most politicians don’t know, which is mainly who we are changing it for anyway so we can move forward legislatively without the word assistant holding us back.

Years ago, when the show ER was still on the air I attended a party and met someone new.

They asked "what do you do?"

I'm an ER PA, I said.

cool, I love that show....they thought I was a Production Assistant for the show...,.

[jwells78]

Before we do the name change thingy, maybe we could get some of the hospitals   and clinics in the US to add PA's to their list of medical personnel first?

 

Cant remember the last time I read a hospital website  ER description and saw "PA" listed anywhere in there.  Maybe never.  Get the hospitals and clinics to identify us, them I'm taking a party bus to DC and we will stop at every med school on the way and arm-wrestle the MS3's for political exposure.

 

After that, you guys can change the name.  But keep the initials similar:

(And Yes, physician associate SUCKS.  Makes me think of a gold-chain endowed chicago bookie in track pants or something)

maybe:

AP - Advanced Practitioner/Provider

AP- Allopathic provider

AMP- Advanced Medical Practitioner

 

Or my favorite:

PIMP- Physician-Intermediate Medical Provider

 

 

 

[ProSpectre]

16 hours ago, jwells78 said:

Before we do the name change thingy, maybe we could get some of the hospitals   and clinics in the US to add PA's to their list of medical personnel first?

 

Cant remember the last time I read a hospital website  ER description and saw "PA" listed anywhere in there.  Maybe never.  Get the hospitals and clinics to identify us, them I'm taking a party bus to DC and we will stop at every med school on the way and arm-wrestle the MS3's for political exposure.

 

After that, you guys can change the name.  But keep the initials similar:

(And Yes, physician associate SUCKS.  Makes me think of a gold-chain endowed chicago bookie in track pants or something)

maybe:

AP - Advanced Practitioner/Provider

AP- Allopathic provider

AMP- Advanced Medical Practitioner

 

Or my favorite:

PIMP- Physician-Intermediate Medical Provider

 

I still think the name change should be a sooner-rather-than-later thing; PAs have been writing about & debating this since the early 90's -- it's time. But I don't disagree with your above point; it just never occurred to me that it was uncommon to see PAs represented on hospital websites. I did find a couple after a quick search (I cheated a little though, by going to the hospitals that have a respected EM PA residency in house): 

Duke University Hospital: https://www.dukehealth.org/locations/duke-university-hospital-emergency-room 

University of Iowa ER (well they list the specific PAs on the care team): https://uihc.org/emergency-department 

 

Of your options listed above, PIMP is the clear winner. Instant respect right there. But you know what they say though, PIMPin' ain't easy.