Cideous Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 (edited) It's an LA Times article. No mention of Physician Assistants.....anywhere. This ain't South Dakota, this is California. 40 million people. As Cal goes, so goes the nation is a real phenomenon. On the bright side, our name has Physician in it. That's got to means something right? (sigh). Change our name AAPA!!!!!!!!! Our house in on fire and our leadership is roasting wieners. And so it begins in the most populous state in the union. https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-future-health-workforce-commission-doctor-shortage-20190205-story.html California lawmakers will need to grant nurse practitioners across the state more autonomy, increase opportunities to study medicine and expand doctor training programs in order to avoid a looming healthcare crisis, according to a report released Monday by the California Future Health Workforce Commission. The report outlines a $3-billion plan for ensuring the state has enough doctors, nurses and home care workers to meet the needs of Californians at a time when Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to dramatically expand healthcare access for lower-income and immigrant communities. The commission, created by healthcare, education and business leaders and co-chaired by UC President Janet Napolitano, plans to pitch the proposal to Newsom and legislative leaders in the coming weeks. Edited February 5, 2019 by Cideous 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas5814 Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 If they do California will join more than 30 other states that give NPs independent practice. We have to continue to prosecute our agenda or we are going to become extinct. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cideous Posted February 5, 2019 Author Share Posted February 5, 2019 What will be interesting to see is how hard the California Medical Association fights it. They are already firing warning shots as quoted in the article, but I believe they will loose. The nursing lobby in California has the full support of the political leadership and that matters a bunch. Newsom is going to move fast on this, I could see this being implemented by next year. It will then be a no brainer for other states to follow suit over the next 3-5 years. We MUST change our name, nation wide. This is not something that can be done quickly, so if we don't get moving on it now it will simply be too late. Gawd I wish people in this profession had a sense of urgency. One day they are going to wake up and be out of a job because why would you hire a PA over a fully autonomous NP? Yet with ASSISTANT still in our name we will never convince law makers to push our field forward with NP's. Frustrating beyond belief... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyVetDude Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 I believe the following could happen and soon we might have join the dark side. NP's might allow bridge programs for PA's to attend - like a couple semester of nursing theory and papers - and allow us to enter their DNP program. Sad but PA's will soon have to NP's to find work. Otherwise, we need to keep fighting with OTP and name change and push forward quickly 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas5814 Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 if there were an easy path to be both NP and PA I would have done it 10 years ago. I still might if that happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal_PA Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 I'm glad the AAPA is making some changes but we really need to expedite as much as possible. We have been behind for too long and the gap is becoming larger 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyVetDude Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 2 hours ago, sas5814 said: if there were an easy path to be both NP and PA I would have done it 10 years ago. I still might if that happens. I am pretty sure MPAS -> DNP could happen if many PA's contact the national NP board and lobby for it. We would be throwing in the towel and acknowledging that they are superior however. I guess if we can obtain independence that way, it is probably worth it. AAPA and Any PA affiliated groups could not do sh*t for us anyway The NP board would be very proud to announce that PA's can become equal to NP's in education and training by taking extra semesters of advanced nursing theories and writing papers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal_PA Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 18 minutes ago, ArmyVetDude said: I am pretty sure MPAS -> DNP could happen if many PA's contact the national NP board and lobby for it. We would be throwing in the towel and acknowledging that they are superior however. I guess if we can obtain independence that way, it is probably worth it. AAPA and Any PA affiliated groups could not do sh*t for us anyway The NP board would be very proud to announce that PA's can become equal to NP's in education and training by taking extra semesters of advanced nursing theories and writing papers This makes me sick. I do not want to be an NP. We have better medical training and knowledge (for the most part). We should be as aggressive as possible and stop trying to tiptoe around the nursing board 6 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas5814 Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 Its simple practicality for me. Now I am at the end of my career and will probably never be touched by the possible melt down of the profession that will happen if we don't gain some parity but if I were young I'd rather be a humble NP with a job and a house than a proud PA living in a cardboard box. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cideous Posted February 5, 2019 Author Share Posted February 5, 2019 1 hour ago, sas5814 said: Its simple practicality for me. Now I am at the end of my career and will probably never be touched by the possible melt down of the profession that will happen if we don't gain some parity but if I were young I'd rather be a humble NP with a job and a house than a proud PA living in a cardboard box. ...and $150k in school loan debt. Preach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAtoMD Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 6 hours ago, sas5814 said: if there were an easy path to be both NP and PA I would have done it 10 years ago. I still might if that happens. Isn’t there a California school that allows you to get both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hope2PA Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 I thought CAPA was pushing for OTP this legislation. Is it only North Dakota? Also, What’s the chance AAPA will actually officially change title, or will May just bring about ideas to consider for next few years? Yes there is a school in California, I forget the name, that offers both NP PA, It takes several months longer to get PA, so under current trend, not sure why someone would even bother to take more time and $$$ to get the PA portion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaepora Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 3 hours ago, PAsPreMed said: Isn’t there a California school that allows you to get both? UC Davis 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 I am pretty sure MPAS -> DNP could happen if many PA's contact the national NP board and lobby for it. We would be throwing in the towel and acknowledging that they are superior however. I guess if we can obtain independence that way, it is probably worth it. AAPA and Any PA affiliated groups could not do sh*t for us anyway The NP board would be very proud to announce that PA's can become equal to NP's in education and training by taking extra semesters of advanced nursing theories and writing papers Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSpectre Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 I don't understand why PAs don't capitalize on these legislative movements by NPs. We aren't going to stop them from lobbying for greater autonomy for themselves, but our representative organizations can at least piggyback off of those efforts and work for inclusion in legislation like this, or work with lawmakers to sponsor bills that grant parity with legislation like this. I think OTP and the title change are important steps, but we shouldn't be afraid to use the successes of NPs to argue for legislative parity for PAs. We're hired for the same jobs in many cases, and it's easy to demonstrate that PAs education is general is more rigorous, more credits, and more clinical hours; we should use these facts to our advantage. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTATC Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, Hope2PA said: Yes there is a school in California, I forget the name, that offers both NP PA, It takes several months longer to get PA, so under current trend, not sure why someone would even bother to take more time and $$$ to get the PA portion. That's UC Davis. It is a combined program where the PAs and NPs take many of their didactic courses together, but the PAs complete about twice as many clinical hours, which is why it is longer. In reality there is not much of a dual track. You have to be an RN for for their NP program. RNs used to have the option of a duel degree there, but now they can only grant 65(?) PA degrees, and their classes are full except for the occasional drop out. So there may be a very small handful of RNs that could choose to also get their PA, but it is not an option for most, and there is no option for non-nurses to get both degrees. Edited February 6, 2019 by JTATC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HanSolo Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 Just got around to reading most of the report this article was referencing https://futurehealthworkforce.org/ Essentially the role in California is to greatly expand the role of NPs, including independent practice. Nowhere is there any talk of removing restrictive legislation on PAs. Saw a tag on linkedin about how proud CAPA is of being involved in this report. Honestly, I would be embarrassed. Major opportunity missed here. For an organization that claims how much they are trying to advance OTP, I can't help but feel this is a major setback for our profession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 Just got around to reading most of the report this article was referencing https://futurehealthworkforce.org/ Essentially the role in California is to greatly expand the role of NPs, including independent practice. Nowhere is there any talk of removing restrictive legislation on PAs. Saw a tag on linkedin about how proud CAPA is of being involved in this report. Honestly, I would be embarrassed. Major opportunity missed here. For an organization that claims how much they are trying to advance OTP, I can't help but feel this is a major setback for our profession. Have you brought it up to CAPA? I tried to find the LinkedIn post but came up empty. I'll write them also I actually will call them to let them know of their gaffe but want to reference their post. Can you post a link of the tag in LinkedIn? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 Ok that report pissed me off enough to email CAPA tonight. I sent them a copy of the report and emailed them this:Dear CAPA, I read the recent report entitled "Meeting the Demand for Health:Final Report of the California Future Health Workforce Commission" which addressed meeting the PCP shortage in California (see attached). And though it mentioned PAs as part of the solution, I feel we got left out of a huge part of the proposals specifically the section proposing to "maximiz[e] the role of NPs" for Primary care... We were not mentioned in that part at all(page 34). I feel that not being mentioned in the same section as our NP colleagues vying for expanded roles will put us at a huge disadvantage in the job market and more importantly as part of the "solution" to the PCP shortage. This section seems to promote NP independence/advanced scope of practice while leaving us out. Not even a mention of OTP in it. A colleague mentioned to me that they saw CAPA post the report on LinkedIn and took credit for being able to contribute to the report. I could not find the LinkedIn tag so I am uncertain of CAPA's stance on this but don't you think this is a big missed opportunity for us to present at the very least OTP in the same section as the NP maximization of scope? Please allay my worries that CAPA is sitting idly by, satisfied with just being mentioned in the article without any proposal on HOW we can help fill the PCP shortage the same way NPs have in this report. I have witnessed through the years how our NP colleagues push their agenda forward while our agenda gets pushed aside. I believe in OTP but if we do not push it as aggressively as the NPs push their independence we will be out of the picture or be seen as a mere afterthought. Sincerely, Joelseff, MS, PA-CPrimary Care Medicine(I'm actually leaving Primary Care next month but still feel we can fill the gap) Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HanSolo Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 (edited) Edit: Tried to post a link; didn't work. I suggest going to CAPA's LinkedIn page. It's one of the most recent posts. Thanks for reaching out to them and posting your letter, Joelseff. I actually drafted one last night but wanted to re-visit it before sending. Will send it tonight. Edited February 7, 2019 by HanSolo broken link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyVetDude Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 great job joelseff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cideous Posted February 7, 2019 Author Share Posted February 7, 2019 Great letter to CAPA. Tell them to sell out and beg to be included with the Cal NP's in this endeavor. We are not going to get any help from our national leadership so maybe NP's will have pity on us and drag us along with them..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 They responded to me. The email was pretty long but ultimately they were saying they responded to the LA times and Sac Bee articles (which I did not bring up) and sent me this link: https://capanet.org/2019/02/letter-to-the-editor/ I wrote them back asking them to share CAPA's response to the ACTUAL commission's report (185 page document I emailed them). Awaiting their response and will post here when they respond. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 Here's their response:With regard to responding to the Commission about the report, as members of the committee that advised the Commission, we are working with all parties to talk about the report content. If one reads the entire report, PAs are mentioned many times and I promise, were well represented as the report was being developed over the past 2 years. As these things go, one can never be sure of the content until the material is published. Then one can really never guess what the media picks up from the report. Please know this is something we take very seriously and will continue to address.Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HanSolo Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 So they're saying no one can know what the content of the material are until they are published? Maybe they aren't aware the report has been published already and that we've read it... Seems like they're dodging the question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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