May 2008 - Posts

On the Positive Side
May 25, 2008 10:27 PM by Stephen Cornell

SAN ANTONIO—I don't want to give the impression from the last two posts that I have negative feelings about the 2008 AAPA conference. While I do feel that the attendance is disappointing and that the House of Delegates missed a unique opportunity to debate Read More...

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No PA Doctorate Debate?
May 25, 2008 10:18 PM by Stephen Cornell

SAN ANTONIO—It looks as if the AAPA House of Delegates will not debate the issue of PA-specific doctorate degrees in 2008. The academy's board of directors spent a significant amount of time discussing a possible emergency resolution to the HOD on the Read More...

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San Antonio Conference Attendance Disappointing
May 25, 2008 10:16 PM by Stephen Cornell

SAN ANTONIO—For the second straight year, attendance at the annual AAPA conference will fall well below expectations , according to the May 25 AAPA News Conference Daily . The academy expected about 7,000 attendees in San Antonio this week, but probably Read More...

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PA Student Honored
May 22, 2008 5:04 PM by Stephen Cornell

Former Penn State swimmer and current Arcadia University PA student Molly Crispell has been nominated for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors. Crispell earns her second straight selection to the Academic All-District first team after completing Read More...

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New PA Program in Canada
May 22, 2008 11:19 AM by Stephen Cornell

McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, announced a civilian PA program this week. The first 20 students will begin the two-year program in September. This will be Ontario's first physician assistant program and Canada's first civilian program at an Read More...

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PAs and NPs Defined
May 21, 2008 4:58 PM by Stephen Cornell

From the "new and up-to-date" American Heritage Medical Dictionary : physician's assistant A person trained and licensed to provide basic medical services, usually under the supervision of a physician. nurse practitioner A registered nurse with advanced Read More...

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How Many PAs in San Antonio?
May 21, 2008 2:31 PM by Stephen Cornell

Buried in the the AAPA's online (members only) House of Delegates reports, is the fact that attendance at last year's national conference in Philadelphia was a real disappointment for the academy. About 5,900 PAs and students and 7,900 total attendees Read More...

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David Padgett Returns to Neoga
May 21, 2008 2:09 PM by Stephen Cornell

Illinois PA David Padgett is practicing in the town of Neoga again, about two years after his dismissal from a local clinic sparked a mini-revolt in the community. NEOGA — More than two years after his last day on the job in his adopted hometown of Neoga, Read More...

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Spring on the Tundra
May 20, 2008 2:33 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Tundra PA currently has a post up about spring in Alaska . Break up is the big spring event here in Alaska that says that winter is finally, truly, honest-to-goodness, no-turning-back, absolutely over. Some say jokingly that it is the start of summer, Read More...

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PAs in India?
May 20, 2008 12:22 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India, apparently has a PA program . The institute's press release even mentions Dr. Eugene Stead. In the mid 60s, the Physician Assistant (PA) program was developed by Dr Eugene Stead, Chairman Read More...

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Will NPs Lead the Health Care Team?
May 19, 2008 5:53 PM by Stephen Cornell

In the Boston Globe , a mention of the NP-led medical team . Across the nation, patients are so frustrated by lack of access to their doctors that they are going to drug-store clinics for basic care. And primary care doctors are so harried that they are Read More...

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PAs for Health Freedom on the Web
May 19, 2008 5:29 PM by Stephen Cornell

Physician Assistants for Health Freedom (PAHF) has a Web site and a blog . The group's goals include: To improve the vitality of quality health care in America To promote free market solutions for health care. And thus to protest the corporate, union Read More...

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AAMC Recommends Limits on Drug Company 'Freebies'
May 19, 2008 4:57 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Association of American Medical Colleges is calling for restrictions on drug companies and medical device companies at medical schools and teaching hospitals, according to an article in American Medical News . Free lunches, pens or trips to resorts Read More...

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Red Cross Ruling
May 16, 2008 10:46 AM by Terri Schaefer

Last year, Johnson & Johnson sued the American Red Cross for using the red cross symbol for commercial purposes—but as part of a fundraising campaign. Now it looks like the Red Cross can still use the red cross in this way . A Manhattan federal judge Read More...

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Many More New PA Programs in Development
May 15, 2008 1:28 PM by Stephen Cornell

There sure are a lot of new PA programs. ARC-PA currently accredits 141 programs , and at least six more schools are planning programs. - Ohio's Mount Union College - New York's Clarkson University - New York's SUNY Upstate Medical University - Kentucky's Read More...

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Another New PA Program
May 15, 2008 11:47 AM by Stephen Cornell

Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., is developing a PA program. The Clarkson University Board of Trustees this weekend approved moving ahead to establish a master of science degree in physician assistant studies at the Potsdam, N.Y., institution. The Read More...

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Online PA Forum Changes
May 15, 2008 11:09 AM by Stephen Cornell

I like the new format of the online PA Forum . Currently, the PA Forum has 14,027 threads, 132,157 posts and 12,406 members. Over the last 10 years, the forum has become an invaluable resource in the profession. Link Read More...

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Medical Marijuana in California
May 14, 2008 5:57 PM by Stephen Cornell

Interesting Joel Stein column on medical marijuana from the Los Angeles Times . There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of medical involved. As I sat in the tiny waiting room, filling out my medical history and getting nervous, Halperin assured me that no Read More...

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Join the NCCPA BOD
May 14, 2008 5:41 PM by Stephen Cornell

The NCCPA is looking for a director-at-large . Any certified PA is eligible for nomination; and candidates should possess most, if not all, of the following qualities: Maturity, sound judgment, wide-ranging intellect and personal and professional achievement Read More...

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DFAAPAs (Almost) Everywhere!
May 14, 2008 2:38 PM by Stephen Cornell

Thirty-one Distinguished Fellows of the American Academy of Physician Assistants in Texas alone. None from Arkansas, Mississippi or Rhode Island. Link Read More...

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AAPA's Slowing Fellow Membership Growth
May 13, 2008 3:26 PM by Stephen Cornell

New AAPA executive vice president and CEO Bill Leinweber addressed the academy’s fellow membership numbers in his recent AAPA News editorial. As an example of the challenges the AAPA currently faces, the first thing he listed was: We have yet to demonstrate Read More...

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Karen Bass Update
May 13, 2008 3:07 PM by Stephen Cornell

Former California PA Karen Bass was sworn in today as the first African-American woman to serve as speaker of California's General Assembly. The Sacramento Bee has a short Q&A with Bass—and an apostrophe in the profession's name. Bass, a 54-year-old Read More...

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Generation Gap
May 13, 2008 12:15 PM by Stephen Cornell

Are all generation gaps this large? Or does the looming Internet-related generation gap just seem particularly huge because I am now old? From the Los Angeles Times : Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between a person LOLing and crying -- but Read More...

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The AAPA's 'New Day'
May 12, 2008 3:14 PM by Stephen Cornell

Are there going to be changes at the American Academy of Physician Assistants? Sure looks like it. Ever since new AAPA executive vice president and CEO Bill Leinweber arrived at the academy in February, a common catchphrase for academy staff and PA leaders Read More...

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PA Postgraduate Program Accreditation
May 12, 2008 2:58 PM by Stephen Cornell

ARC-PA has created a page to list accredited clinical postgraduate PA programs . There are currently two. The surgery residency at Johns Hopkins and the oncology residency at MD Anderson Cancer Center received ARC-PA accreditation in March. Link Read More...

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Visit the Redesigned National Association of PAs Web Site
May 12, 2008 10:53 AM by Stephen Cornell

The National Association of PAs launched its redesigned Web site last week, and it look really good. Nevada PAs Brian Sady and Steve Engelberg created NAPA in 2006 for the sole purpose of promoting the PA profession to the public, health care professionals Read More...

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Paul Robinson is AAPA President-Elect
May 9, 2008 2:56 PM by Stephen Cornell

Wisconsin PA Paul Robinson is officially the next president-elect of the AAPA. The academy announced the results of its election for board of directors on Thursday. The following were elected by 14.8% of the eligible AAPA fellow members: President Elect Read More...

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'Content to Assist'
May 9, 2008 2:04 PM by Stephen Cornell

The headline of this Idaho State Journal article about Idaho PA of the Year Nicole Manning says it all about public awareness of the PA profession . Content to Assist Link Read More...

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PAs and Retail-Based Health Clinics
May 8, 2008 3:55 PM by Stephen Cornell

The AAPA has a cover story on retail-based health clinics in the May 15 AAPA News . If in-store health clinics were a stock, should you buy, sell, or hold? Industry watchers predict that the number of walk-in retail medical clinics nationwide will jump Read More...

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Analyzing the Duck-Billed Platypus
May 7, 2008 1:44 PM by Terri Schaefer

Interesting news today from the National Human Genome Research Institute—the genome sequence of the duck-billed platypus has just been published . A mix of reptile and mammal, the genome sequence of Glennie, a female platypus from Australia, was analyzed Read More...

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The Health Implications of Competitive Eating
May 6, 2008 3:07 PM by Terri Schaefer

My in-laws hail from New York City, and as such, have eaten many a hot dog at the Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island. Once a year, I am required to take a break in our 4th of July festivities to sit down with my husband and watch the International Hot Dog Read More...

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NY Times Profiles PA
May 5, 2008 10:00 AM by Terri Schaefer

The New York Times today published a profile and photo album of PA John C. Welton , a polio survivor who works in the palliative care unit at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. Now 60, he has survived polio. In 1953, he and two of his brothers contracted Read More...

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More PAs in Florida
May 2, 2008 11:56 AM by Stephen Cornell

Nova Southeastern University is planning a fourth PA program in Florida , this one in Jacksonville. Nova Southeastern already has PA programs in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Naples. JACKSONVILLE -- A new Jacksonville physician assistant graduate program Read More...

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Is PA Really Recession-Proof? II
May 1, 2008 4:14 PM by Stephen Cornell

It looks like health care businesses could be in for a rough time. The international law firm of White & Case sent out an e-mail today about looming hospital bankruptcies. Hospitals in the US are suffering along with the national economy. Those that Read More...

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Pa. PA Students Compete for Charity
May 1, 2008 3:06 PM by Stephen Cornell

Students and faculty from four PA programs in the Philadelphia area will compete in the PA student olympics on May 17 to benefit the hunger-relief agency Philabundance. Students raise money at each of their institutions prior to the Games and utilize Read More...

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Army Medic and Silver Star Recipient Removed from Combat Situations
May 1, 2008 2:40 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Washington Post published an interesting story today about Army medic and Silver Star recipient Monica Brown . KHOST, Afghanistan -- Pfc. Monica Brown cracked open the door of her Humvee outside a remote village in eastern Afghanistan to the pop of Read More...

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