January 2009 - Posts

Legislative Update for Illinois PAs
January 30, 2009 2:54 PM by Terri Schaefer

The Illinois Academy of Physician Assistants announced that they will soon be submitting language for four bills to the Illinois Legislative Reference Bureau. The goals are: 1) Adding Emergency Disaster Language to the PA Practice Act allowing PAs to Read More...

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Sextuplet TV Show Update
January 30, 2009 1:37 PM by Terri Schaefer

When Arizona PA and mother of sextuplets Jenny Masche spoke with ADVANCE last summer, she discussed the family’s television special on the WE tv cable channel, “OMG! Sextuplets!” Due to the popularity of that show, the cameras have been filming the Masches Read More...

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Health Care Providers and Recession
January 28, 2009 6:45 PM by Stephen Cornell

On one of the ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioners blogs, a health care career expert cautions that medical providers are not immune to recessions. Last week we talked about the effect of the recession on what is considered by many to be the most stable sector Read More...

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Tennessee Physician Assistants Blogged
January 28, 2009 4:51 PM by Stephen Cornell

Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel reporter Kristi Nelson blogged about physician assistants twice this week on her blog, Health Hits . She does a nice job describing the profession in What's a PA, anyway? It's been my experience that a lot of people confuse Read More...

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Long Island Town Loses 'Beloved' Physician Assistant
January 27, 2009 6:25 PM by Stephen Cornell

New York physician assistant Ken Dodge has cared for patients in East Hampton for 36 years. He's moving to a new town, and many local residents are disappointed. Many of Mr. Dodge’s patients are sorry and worried to see him go. “He’s a wonderful guy,” Read More...

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Air Force Physician Assistant Makes a Difference in Afghanistan
January 27, 2009 2:56 PM by Stephen Cornell

The U.S. Air Force published on Jan. 26 this article about physician assistant James Parris. by Capt. Stacie N. Shafran Provincial Reconstruction Team Paktya GARDEZ, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Servicemembers of the Provincial Reconstruction Team Paktya in Read More...

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Some Nurses in Canada Oppose Physician Assistants
January 26, 2009 4:46 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario is apparently not pleased with the physician assistant profession's growth in Canada. RNAO executive director Doris Grinspun's warning about PAs: "Don't let them touch you." The idea is meeting with resistance, Read More...

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Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner Bashing?
January 26, 2009 11:42 AM by Stephen Cornell

PhysAsst talks on his blog, "Are you a Doctor??" about bashing of physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Well, I have been reading some of the blogs here in the blogosphere, and one theme seems to remain constant. That is, PA and NP bashing, on Read More...

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Physician Assistants on the Battlefield
January 26, 2009 10:55 AM by Stephen Cornell

ReachMD host and physician assistant Lisa D'Andrea Lanell interviewed U.S. Army PA James Jones. Captain James Jones, program manager of the Army's Interservice Physician Assistant Program, discusses with host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell the role of the physician Read More...

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The Physician Assistant Forum is Back
January 26, 2009 10:39 AM by Stephen Cornell

Don't know why it was down, but it's back up. Link UPDATE: Many people missed the PA Forum. There's a thread devoted for forum withdrawal here . Read More...

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I Miss the Physician Assistant Forum
January 23, 2009 5:18 PM by Stephen Cornell

The popular online PA Forum has been offline for a few days now. I feel lost without a regular dose of physician assistant discussions. Come back soon, PA Forum. Read More...

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Physician Assistants Think the Profession is Recession-Proof
January 23, 2009 4:25 PM by Stephen Cornell

Physician assistants overwhelmingly believe that their profession is resistant to recession. In an ADVANCE online poll, 107 of 115 respondents said that the PA profession is "recession-proof." That's a landslide. Link Read More...

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New Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants Podcasts
January 23, 2009 2:45 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants has two new audio podcasts available on its Dermcast.tv Web site. On one, SDPA immediate past president Robert Higham interviews New Jersey derm PA Casey Croes about the society's Distance Learning Initiative Read More...

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Florida Physician Assistant Cares for the Uninsured
January 22, 2009 2:40 PM by Stephen Cornell

Florida physician assistant Joanie Kemsley is the primary health care provider at the St. Vincent de Paul Community Health Care free clinic for the uninsured in Port Charlotte, Fla. Barry University's MEDexpress publication has an excellent profile of Read More...

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Health Care Reform Essay
January 21, 2009 6:53 PM by Stephen Cornell

Columbia University professor Michael Sparer outlined some possibilities for health care reform in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine . He does mention physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The 2008 presidential election Read More...

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Army Nurses
January 20, 2009 2:51 PM by Stephen Cornell

Interesting article on U.S. Army nurses on the ADVANCE for Nurses Web site. Both men and women have served as Army nurses since 1775, but the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) did not become a part of the Army Medical Department until 1901. 1 Today, more than 9,000 Read More...

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Medical Credit Checks
January 20, 2009 12:09 PM by Stephen Cornell

American Medical News has an article on medical credit checks. But there are several companies, including the major credit reporting agencies, that want to sell physicians and hospitals information on a patient's creditworthiness by giving a detailed Read More...

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'Art Car'
January 19, 2009 6:37 PM by Stephen Cornell

AAPA News has a short piece on Massachusetts PA Rebecca Perlo's art car. Perlo and her husband, Doug, boast the wildest art car in Boston, reported the newspaper. At last count, the toy menagerie glued to the 1999 Saab numbered somewhere between a thousand Read More...

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PA to College Students: 'Wear Socks!'
January 19, 2009 5:48 PM by Stephen Cornell

University of Vermont student health center physician assistant Kerry Fantelli urges all students to wear socks. Kerry Fantelli, a physician's assistant at the Student Health Clinic, had plenty of warnings for students braving the below-freezing temperatures. Read More...

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An NP on the DNP
January 14, 2009 7:02 PM by Stephen Cornell

From our sister publication, ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioners , New York nurse practitioner Anthony Pucek's take on the Doctorate of Nursing Practice. The DNP Will it Create a Second-Class NP? It looks like the doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) will Read More...

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The Physician Assistant Brand
January 13, 2009 2:49 PM by Stephen Cornell

AAPA candidate for secretary Dan Thibodeau believes communications, marketing and branding are important to the physician assistant profession. This is part of his response to the question, "What will be the PA profession's three biggest challenges in Read More...

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Thank You, Editorial Peer Reviewers
January 13, 2009 1:39 PM by Terri Schaefer

Every year, I’m grateful for the help of more than 100 PAs who graciously offer their time to ADVANCE to review clinical articles. The comments and suggestions they provide are instrumental during the editing process. We’ve just updated our Editorial Read More...

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2009 AAPA BOD Candidates
January 9, 2009 2:12 PM by Stephen Cornell

The 2009 candidates for the American Academy of Physician Assistants board of directors are: President: Patrick E. Killeen and Robert L. Wooten Secretary: Vicki Chan-Padgett, Charles A. Moxin and Daniel T. Thibodeau Director at Large: Michelle DiBaise, Read More...

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Pa. DNP Program
January 9, 2009 2:05 PM by Stephen Cornell

From a press release about Carlow University's new low-residence Doctor of Nursing Practice program: The DNP program is open to students who have a current RN license, a bachelor of science in nursing, and a master’s degree in nursing. Students should Read More...

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Physician Assistant Wins Wake Forest Football Tickets
January 8, 2009 3:44 PM by Stephen Cornell

North Carolina physician assistant Bob Yakos is apparently a pretty big Wake Forest football fan. Yakos won tickets for the next 15 years in the university's Last Fan Sitting Contest. The details from a university press release: Wake Forest University Read More...

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Movement on Physician Assistant Doctorate Issue
January 8, 2009 11:27 AM by Stephen Cornell

The PAEA-AAPA summit to consider an entry-level doctorate degree for the profession is scheduled for March 25-27. The organizations have created a sponsor group "to oversee the planning, research, and educational process that will support the final recommendation." Read More...

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It Is Really Cold In Alaska
January 8, 2009 11:23 AM by Stephen Cornell

The Tundra PA reports on Alaska's extreme cold. Cold. Damn cold. Freezin’ ass cold (or FAC as Dutch, the retired Coast Guard Captain calls it). It was minus thirty-three degrees again this morning, as it was yesterday and the day before, plus or minus Read More...

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$2,200,000,000,000
January 6, 2009 9:35 AM by Stephen Cornell

Total spending on health care in the United States in 2007 was $2.2 trillion or $2,200,000,000,000 . That's a lot of zeros. That number doesn't even look right. While the report doesn't reflect most of the economic downturn that began in December 2007, Read More...

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No More Free Stuff
January 5, 2009 5:29 PM by Stephen Cornell

No more branded freebies from pharmaceutical companies. Starting Jan. 1, the pharmaceutical industry has agreed to a voluntary moratorium on the kind of branded goodies — Viagra pens, Zoloft soap dispensers, Lipitor mugs — that were meant to foster good Read More...

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Texas Newspaper Asks For Less Physician Supervision for Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners
January 5, 2009 4:21 PM by Stephen Cornell

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram mentions physician assistants and nurse practitioners in its 10 health care suggestions for the Texas Legislature editorial. Physician assistants and nurse practitioners are increasingly important in rural areas, and staff Read More...

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PA Offers Metabolic Syndrome Program
January 2, 2009 10:09 AM by Terri Schaefer

Montana PA Randy Trudeau, owner of Mission Valley Health Clinic in St. Ignatius, Mont., has developed the Mission Metabolic Weight Management Program. It’s more than a diet change and workout plans—the program is a five-week series of lectures on metabolic Read More...

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