August 2008 - Posts

AAPA News Aug. 30
August 29, 2008 5:24 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Aug. 30 issue of AAPA News contains some interesting stories: An account of disaster drill at Philadelphia University included PAs. Doug Scott does a nice job with the article, writing as if there had been an actual disaster. At least eight PA students Read More...

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More PA Programs in the Pipeline
August 29, 2008 11:04 AM by Stephen Cornell

I count nine developing U.S. PA programs that have been publically identified. - Ohio's Mount Union College - New York's Clarkson University - New York's SUNY Upstate Medical University - Kentucky's University of the Cumberlands - Florida's Nova Southeastern Read More...

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Rod Moser's Lessons for Life
August 28, 2008 4:00 PM by Stephen Cornell

Today, occassionally cantankerous California PA Rod Moser offers some life lessons on his WebMD blog, All Ears . Lesson 7: Always look in the mirror before you leave the house. I wake up about 5:30 AM, partly due to the dogs and partly due to my own bladder. Read More...

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Antarctica PA Update
August 28, 2008 3:53 PM by Stephen Cornell

Cool ice pictures from the antarctic on PA Homeless Heidi's blog. Get your Homeless Heidi fix now. She is getting married and leaving the South Pole for New Hyde Park, N.Y., in a few months. Link Read More...

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NCCPA's Solution for Specialty PAs
August 28, 2008 1:51 PM by Stephen Cornell

Back in May 2006, the NCCPA pledged to develop "a solution to meet the needs of specialty PAs." Since that time, the NCCPA has done a great job creating productive debate about the problems facing PAs in specialties. But it really hasn't offered any solutions. Read More...

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Uninsured Americans: 'Problem Solved'
August 28, 2008 1:43 PM by Stephen Cornell

From the Dallas Morning News, an easy, painless and cheap way to make the problem of Americans without health insurance vanish. When I first saw references to this quote, I thought it was a hoax. Apparently not. But the numbers are misleading, said John Read More...

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North Carolina College Considers New Physician Assistant Program
August 28, 2008 11:37 AM by Stephen Cornell

Campbell University is thinking about developing a PA program , according to the Fayetteville Observer . BUIES CREEK — Campbell University officials are considering adding a physician assistant degree program in 2011, according to a release from the school. Read More...

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Physician Assistants Needed in Maryland
August 27, 2008 3:10 PM by Stephen Cornell

There's a continuing shortage of PAs in Maryland, according to the Baltimore Business Journal . Maryland hospitals continue to grapple with a shortage of health care professionals to fill jobs, according to a study released Wednesday by the Maryland Hospital Read More...

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PAs Are Big News in Connecticut
August 27, 2008 1:49 PM by Stephen Cornell

Well, PAs are big news in Connecticut newspapers for today, anyway. Pediatric PA (and ADVANCE for PAs editorial board member) Patrick Killeen is quoted in this Danbury News-Times article about an infant with MCADD. That's not a problem now because Noah's Read More...

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AAPA Joins CDC Campaign
August 27, 2008 1:07 PM by Stephen Cornell

New on the AAPA Web site: the academy has joined the Healthiest Nation Alliance . The AAPA has an online preview of the upcoming AAPA News article about the campaign. The goal, according to the Alliance, is to ensure that the country's investments in Read More...

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PAs and Doctorates is a Popular Topic
August 27, 2008 12:03 PM by Stephen Cornell

The ADVANCE for PAs Web site's current top story, " Cautious About Doctorates ," has generated a ton of traffic and many good comments in less than 24 hours. PAs seem starved for information on doctorate degrees and the PA profession. Link Read More...

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PA Student In Olympic Opening Ceremonies
August 22, 2008 8:42 AM by Terri Schaefer

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a piece on Emory PA student Harris Patel, MA, ATC , who is in Beijing providing care to Olympic athletes. At the last minute, he was chosen to participate in the opening ceremony. Harris Patel, a physicians assistant Read More...

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Australian Medical Students Oppose Physician Assistants
August 19, 2008 3:40 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Australian Medical Students' Association issued an anti-PA press release today. AMSA: Physician Assistants Not the Answer for Rural Health The introduction of Physician Assistants (PAs) into Queensland hospitals will compromise the quality of medical Read More...

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Don't Cross The Anti-Vaccination Crowd
August 19, 2008 10:12 AM by Stephen Cornell

I missed this when it happened, but actress Amanda Peet apparently angered the anti-vaccine movement with this comment in July. "Frankly, I feel that parents who don't vaccinate their children are parasites." It seems strange to me that with all the unsafe Read More...

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New AAPA News
August 18, 2008 5:13 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Aug. 15 issue of AAPA News is online at the academy's Web site. Link Read More...

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Nurse Detectives
August 18, 2008 1:58 PM by Stephen Cornell

Interesting article from the Washington Post about Maryland nurses. Summer in the suburbs. For the innocent, that means cookouts, swimming, fresh produce, maybe a trip to the beach. But sunny fun has its dark side, and that means suspect potato salad, Read More...

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Australia Top Doc: Physician Assistant Use Too Risky
August 18, 2008 10:40 AM by Stephen Cornell

The PA profession is causing a ruckus in Australia. A plan to introduce some physician assistants to the country's health system has Australian Medical Association president Rosanna Capolingua very upset—about patient safety, of course. THE head of Australia's Read More...

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Independent Practice for Vermont Nurse Practitioners
August 14, 2008 6:25 PM by Stephen Cornell

From ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioners , word that Vermont NPs could soon be practicing independently . A rules and regulations change that could be completed soon in Vermont would provide independent practice status to NPs and increase patients' access Read More...

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Physician Assistant-to-Physician Bridge Program
August 14, 2008 12:29 PM by Stephen Cornell

I continue to be astounded by the amount of interest in and support for the idea of a PA-to-physician bridge program . Our article about a possible bridge program generates enormous traffic to the ADVANCE for PAs Web site, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly Read More...

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Ron Nelson Named CMU Preceptor of the Year
August 14, 2008 11:15 AM by Stephen Cornell

The Central Michigan University PA program honored Ron Nelson as its Preceptor of the Year for 2007-2008. Preceptors serve as mentors to second-year physician assistant students during the clinical rotation phase of the 27-month program. Rotations emphasize Read More...

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S.D. Paper Features National Guard Physician Assistant
August 13, 2008 4:07 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Brookings Register features South Dakota Army National Guard PA David Fossum in an article about British and U.S. soldier conducting joint training exercises. Yanks and Brits have traditionally been allies and worked well together in combined operations. Read More...

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Perceptions of Doctorate Degrees and Physician Assistant Education
August 13, 2008 3:50 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Journal of Physician Assistant Education published a study in its most recent issue titled, “ Perceptions of US Physician Assistants Regarding the Entry-Level Doctoral Degree in PA Education .” The authors found that PAs oppose entry-level doctorate Read More...

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Olympic Gymnast Profiled in ADVANCE
August 12, 2008 3:37 PM by Stephen Cornell

Gymnast Justin Spring helped the United States men's gymnastics team win a bronze medal in Beijing this week. Several months ago, Lauren Fritsky wrote about Spring's return from knee surgery for ADVANCE for Physical Therapists and PT Assistants . It happens Read More...

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Karen Bass in Glamour Magazine
August 12, 2008 11:40 AM by Terri Schaefer

Glamour magazine featured Karen Bass in the Shout-Out section of the September issue, reserved for “four women who deserve our high fives.” The quick bio on page 252 does not say she is a PA, though: In four years, this Californian, 55, went from being Read More...

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Physician: PAs and NPs are Minor League Providers
August 11, 2008 3:26 PM by Stephen Cornell

In an Erie (Pa.) Times-News roundtable discussion about health care, physician Brad Fox compares PAs and NPs to minor league baseball players : The Senate (plan) is a lot of wishing. For them to stock the clinics they want, they have to expand the scope Read More...

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NYT Explains Physician Assistants
August 11, 2008 2:43 PM by Stephen Cornell

The New York Times published a very basic article about the physician assistant profession on Aug. 9. When Mr. Kelly was in college, his older brother, then a medical student, mentioned the role of physician assistant — a “midlevel” health care provider Read More...

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Stead Symposium
August 8, 2008 12:05 PM by Terri Schaefer

The North Carolina Academy of PAs has planned the Stead Symposium , an event to honor the founder of the PA profession and raise money for artifact preservation. On Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008, a special event will be held at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Read More...

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Coming Soon: Flu Season
August 7, 2008 11:10 AM by Terri Schaefer

The FDA approved this upcoming season’s flu vaccines a few days ago, and now I’m left wondering, should I get one? I’ve gotten a flu shot once in my adult life—freshman year of college. They were only five bucks, and I figured I was living in very close Read More...

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War Surgery
August 5, 2008 4:19 PM by Stephen Cornell

The New York Times has an article today on a new medical textbook published by the U.S. Army: "War Surgery in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Series of Cases, 2003-2007." “The average Joe Surgeon, civilian or military, has never seen this stuff,” Dr. Lounsbury Read More...

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PA Pundit on ReachMD
August 4, 2008 6:56 PM by Stephen Cornell

PA and ReachMD radio show host Lisa D'Andrea interviewed PA expert Jim Cawley for this week's show: "Are PAs Abandoning Primary Care Medicine?" Link Read More...

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PA Conference Guide Updated
August 4, 2008 6:51 PM by Stephen Cornell

ADVANCE 's online PA conference guide is now updated through December. Link Read More...

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Army PA Takes Command
August 1, 2008 3:08 PM by Stephen Cornell

Col. Michael Robertson, PA-C, has taken command of the 31st Combat Support Hospital at Fort Bliss in Texas. Col. Michael A. Robertson Sr. took command from Col. Roberto Nang, who had commanded the unit since 2005 and will become a strategic war instructor Read More...

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Pro-NP Research
August 1, 2008 1:51 PM by Stephen Cornell

Nurse practitioners provide quality care for hypertension, according to a Michigan study. ADVANCE for NPs reported on the study results. Nurse practitioners in the division of nephrology and hypertension at Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) in Detroit recently Read More...

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