The fourth episode of "Royal Pains" aired last Thursday on USA and there was definitely a noteworthy scene regarding Divya and her role as a PA.

Hank's brother, Evan, referred to Divya as "doctor's little helper." Divya doesn't seem to like Evan, anyway, but she certainly didn't ...

Eric Schuman, MPAS, PA-C, an editorial peer reviewer and contributor here at ADVANCE, recently received the 2009 Excellence in Teaching Award from Northwest Permanente Physicians and Surgeons.

As Schuman told us, "What especially pleased me was that this was the first time the physician corporation gave this award to a non-physician, indicating to me that the physician assistant profession has made great ...

Sims joined ...

"Royal Pains" is now three episodes in, and the PA character, Divya, played a big role in the most recent episode. This past Thursday, Hank's PA was by his side a lot of the time, and in many instances, showed her medical expertise. And besides the health care aspect, I like that Divya's a little sassy.

There are two parts I wanted to be sure to point out. First, when Hank's brother Evan showed him a pamphlet ...

Eleven months ago, I anxiously awaited my first day of school. Many thoughts went through my mind about books, equipment, course load, and the commute. Our program informally assigns a senior PA student to act as a "Big Buddy" to each newbie. The idea is for new students to feel as comfortable as possible in making the transition into PA school. Some "Bigs" continue on being mentors to their "Littles" and some simply ...

Two episodes of "Royal Pains" have now aired on the cable network USA on Thursdays at 10 p.m., and I really like it. It's a fun summer TV show, and I appreciate the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously. The hour-long dramedy follows Dr. Hank Lawson, who loses his job in New York City (by saving the life of ...

Mary Kay Bonds, the mother of PA Julie Sutton-Osgood, who was killed by a drunk driver in July 2005, recently contacted ADVANCE with some updates about the scholarship in her daughter's name, as well as upcoming events.

To date, Bonds says 12 scholarships have been awarded to students in the medical field. And last year, a scholarship was given to a student in PA school at Southern Illinois University. ...

When you taste the food at the banquet table, all other delectables pale. That is how I feel coming back from the AAPA conference. Not to say school is inferior, but I now view it in a different light. When you see the big picture, the finer details do not seem as intimidating.

At the 37th annual AAPA conference, I learned about the intricacies of student and practicing PA policy and position statements. Issues ...

The Luxxium Group, according to its Web site, is "composed of academics and researchers involved in healthcare organization efficiency and health services research." Most of the members, including ADVANCE columnist James F. Cawley, MPH, PA-C, have undertaken health workforce research as part of their career interest.

Visit the group's

The PA program in development at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., has named Thomas P. Colletti as director. Tom is currently an orthopedic PA at Triangle Orthopedics, based in Durham, N.C., and an assistant consulting professor at Duke University Medical Center. In addition, he is a member of the ADVANCE ...

Late yesterday afternoon, AAPA president Cindy Lord, president-elect Steve Hanson and CEO Bill Leinweber were panelists at the academy's inaugural Town Hall meeting. Questions of any sort were encouraged from the in-person audience, as well as from participants watching remotely as the event streamed online in real time. While the room wasn't full, Leinweber said he was thrilled with the turnout.

The meeting ...

One fascinating annual presentation at the AAPA HOD that we at ADVANCE try not to miss is the treasurer's report. Bruce Fichandler, PA, manages to simultaneously cram the report with humor and a large amount of data about the finances of the academy.

Not surprisingly, the academy has not been immune to the tough economic times. Overall, revenue is down from $1,568,700 ...

Saturday has been a busy day so far at the AAPA Conference. At the general session this morning, AAPA president Cindy Lord promised that PAs no longer will be the "curious omission" in discussions of policy and public awareness. Later, CEO Bill Leinweber issued a welcome rally cry to set the stage for PAs' presence in the upcoming health care reform efforts and beyond. After introducing a number of prominent physicians ...

The ADVANCE for Physician Assistants staff is headed to San Diego for the annual AAPA conference. Keep up with conference events on here on the ADVANCE blog for PAs, at our Facebook page and on our

The authors of a study in the May 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine find that "subtle exposures to branded pharmaceutical promotional items influences implicit attitudes of medical students toward pharmaceutical brands."

The randomized controlled experiment included 352 third- and fourth-year students ...

For those who enjoyed having fictional PA Jeanie Boulet on "ER," the cable network USA has a new show for you-"Royal Pains," premiering June 4 at 10 p.m. The show's main character is Dr. Hank Lawson, who becomes jobless and ends up as a "concierge doctor" in the Hamptons.

According to USA, there is a PA ...

Minutes after I posted "'What is a PA?' Redux," my colleague, Terri Schaefer, directed my attention to the dreadful, ignorant and scathing comments posted by readers at the end of the "Filling the gaps with midlevel health providers" article at Knoxvillebiz.com.

Ouch. Don't read them unless ...

While it serves nobody for us to post every published "Health Care 101: Intro to PAs" article, here's one worth mentioning. This news feature is notable not only because is it an excellent description of the profession, but also because it focuses more on PAs than on NPs, and, remarkably, it was ...

Pennsylvania PA S. Mark Courtney has run for 10,740 straight days-every day for more than 29 years. He has competed in more than 140 marathons, including running the Boston Marathon 30 times.

"There were days when I didn't want to [run] and days I should have taken off, but ...

This article from newsdurhamregion.com, the home page for seven newspapers in the Durham, Ontario, area, reminds us that PAs in the U.S. military aren't the only ones serving in Afghanistan.

Bearing gifts of scorpion keychains and volcanic rock, a Canadian soldier met with his Bowmanville pen-pals after ...

I've noticed an increase in the number of profiles in the news about clinics that serve uninsured and underinsured Americans. Maybe the dire economic conditions eventually can help lead to a solution to this decades-old problem, which now has been driven home for so many more Americans. Of course, we know that PAs have been one of the solutions.

One such

A Fox news article on Saturday features an Army PA stationed at the medical clinic at Camp Tillman in southeastern Afghanistan, and describes how he and his colleagues offer local Afghans much more than painkillers and antidiarrheals.

[W]ithout a local doctor around, simple medical problems can ...

Once I fill in the last bubble on the pharmacology final, I will officially be a second-year PA student! It is hard to believe how far I have come this first year. I remember wondering on the first day of school if I could be a competent PA. When you have little on which to base your thoughts, this does not seem unreasonable.

The first semester, you may feel like you have no idea what you are doing. You can ...

A new twist on the time-tested "What Is a PA" feature, which you can count on being published in a U.S. newspaper somewhere at least once a month, 40-odd years after the profession debuted. The difference this time: It's about PAs in Canada.

From yesterday's Fredericton, New Brunswick, Daily Gleaner, the brief article, headlined

A California man has pleaded guilty to numerous felony counts for impersonating a PA and was sentenced to two years in prison. From the OC Register:

Steve Armand Martinez, 60, San Juan Capistrano, pleaded guilty to four felony count ...