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PA Respect


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Last night, my wife and I drove through at a local pharmacy here in Columbus (the 14th largest city in the US) to pick up a prescription. The pharmacist (not his assistant, who was getting my script) came to the window. I'd never met him before. He addressed me as "doctor," noting that I had a white coat hanging up in my back seat and he had looked me up in the database. Noting that I work in cardiology, he asked me about the merits of a brand-name beta blocker (Bystolic). I gave him some information about the drug and his curiosity was satisfied. He kept calling me "doctor" (strange since he'd obviously just looked me up). I corrected him, noting that I am a PA. "I'm going to call you 'doctor' anyway" was his cheerful answer.

My wife of almost 50 years was impressed.

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Haha I had an instance just the other day where i was driving 100 mph down the interstate highway and was pulled over by the state police. Took my license, saw my white coat and stethoscope, and addressed me as "doctor (last name)" assuming i was a physician. I corrected him saying that i was a PA, but he said he was still going to call me doctor, thanked me for my work, and let me be on my way. Didn't even tell me to slow down a bit...

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2 hours ago, NJPL1213 said:

Haha I had an instance just the other day where i was driving 100 mph down the interstate highway and was pulled over by the state police. Took my license, saw my white coat and stethoscope, and addressed me as "doctor (last name)" assuming i was a physician. I corrected him saying that i was a PA, but he said he was still going to call me doctor, thanked me for my work, and let me be on my way. Didn't even tell me to slow down a bit...

from now on I'll keep my white coat and stethoscope in my car... even when I'm in vacation. You never know when a cop will pull you over! ? 

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4 hours ago, NJPL1213 said:

Haha I had an instance just the other day where i was driving 100 mph down the interstate highway and was pulled over by the state police. Took my license, saw my white coat and stethoscope, and addressed me as "doctor (last name)" assuming i was a physician. I corrected him saying that i was a PA, but he said he was still going to call me doctor, thanked me for my work, and let me be on my way. Didn't even tell me to slow down a bit...

Why were you going 100 mph?

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All my military folk at work call me Doc - they are used to PAs taking care of them, being the flight surgeon, running the Medivac and all else. They call most of the PAs and NPs doc as well as the physicians. 

I noticed that one particular NP who isn't super well liked is addressed as Ms. So&so instead of doc. 

It's the little things you notice every now and then.

I correct folks to make it clear and I have a name tag but I accept their respectful means. 

Just don't call me Honey.....

 

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1 hour ago, CJAdmission said:

You're gonna be a road pizza someday. Hopefully you don't take anyone with you.

 

54 minutes ago, camoman1234 said:

Why were you going 100 mph?

honest mistake, didn't even realize i was going that fast. 

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2 hours ago, camoman1234 said:

You must drive a nice care cause my 12+  year old vehicle with 210K miles won't go passed 75 mph without shaking. That is how I know I am speeding. 

A buddy of mine was recently pulled over for "80 in a 55". he went to court and told the judge "my car won't go 80". the judge took his keys, was gone for 20 min , came back and said " you are right. case dismissed".

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I ride a motorcycle every day I can. I occasionally go 100 or better. I try to calculate how long a smear I'll make if I go down.

I had a bad accident about 6 years ago going 15 MPH. A guy came blasting out of a blind drive backwards without slowing down and broadsided me. Lots of injuries ,expenses, pain etc Usual story...uninsured, not his car suspended drivers license. My wife didn't want me to ride again but its been a hobby and passion since I was a kid. I made her a deal...I bought tons of life insurance and promised the next accident would be fatal. 

Marriage..... it's all about compromise.

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13 minutes ago, sas5814 said:

I ride a motorcycle every day I can. I occasionally go 100 or better. I try to calculate how long a smear I'll make if I go down.

I had a bad accident about 6 years ago going 15 MPH. A guy came blasting out of a blind drive backwards without slowing down and broadsided me. Lots of injuries ,expenses, pain etc Usual story...uninsured, not his car suspended drivers license. My wife didn't want me to ride again but its been a hobby and passion since I was a kid. I made her a deal...I bought tons of life insurance and promised the next accident would be fatal. 

Marriage..... it's all about compromise.

lol. Happy wife = happy life. 

I have been telling my wife I want to get a paramotor when I get done with PA school. Her response? Just make sure we have good life insurance and you can do whatever dumb ass thing you want. 

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10 hours ago, EMEDPA said:

A buddy of mine was recently pulled over for "80 in a 55". he went to court and told the judge "my car won't go 80". the judge took his keys, was gone for 20 min , came back and said " you are right. case dismissed".

That's awesome. Thanks for the good laugh today. 

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back on the topic of PA respect

 

at a CME conference well north of my practice site (4 hour drive in a different state and hospital system)

 

my home hospital system has begrudgingly advanced PA and NP in the past 15 years as their medical school affiliation and residency's programs (one of which ran into accreditation problems) have not attracted/retained enough doc's{a whole different thread on FMG}  They now pay us fairly (most the time)but still do not let us sit on boards, or be voting members to hospital staff.....  As well they still try to hire newer grads, and therefor I think it is a self fulling prophecy in that they devalue PA and NP based on a selection bias.....

 

 

Anyways at this CME I have been amazed at the equal respect that PA and NP receive.  It feels good to be respected as a medical provider and included equally in the equation of health care delivery.  It is not that they made a point (sometimes this is awkward) to include us, they just included us by default.  Honestly it is refreshing, and makes me want to move out of my physician (old grumpy doc's or doc's who were not born, raised or trained in the US system) center system that I am in now.

After feeling the professional difference I would consider a short commute to move across a state line and leave my hosptial system behind.... (which has been happening with some regularity in the past 5 years anyways)

 

 

 

And why not get the Dmsc so that we can have a terminal doctorate in our field....

 

 

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On 6/1/2018 at 5:01 AM, ventana said:

back on the topic of PA respect

 

at a CME conference well north of my practice site (4 hour drive in a different state and hospital system)

 

my home hospital system has begrudgingly advanced PA and NP in the past 15 years as their medical school affiliation and residency's programs (one of which ran into accreditation problems) have not attracted/retained enough doc's{a whole different thread on FMG}  They now pay us fairly (most the time)but still do not let us sit on boards, or be voting members to hospital staff.....  As well they still try to hire newer grads, and therefor I think it is a self fulling prophecy in that they devalue PA and NP based on a selection bias.....

 

 

12

The average administrators don't understand why an assistant need to be in the board room.  From my experience, it takes time for the hospital administrators to understand what we do. But once they leave and an new one comes, we start over again. 

 

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