ADVANCE Blog for PAs

An AFPPA Success

2009-11-06T15:57:00Z

I'm back in Pennsylvania after two days at the AFPPA Fall CME Conference and Exhibition at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix. Upon my arrival at the conference, I was excited to hear the organization had broken all previous attendance records, with nearly 600 registered attendees. And with speakers, exhibitors and guests, there are more than 600! This was my fifth AFPPA conference, and they're always exciting. The speakers are great, and it's fun to catch up in person with all the PAs I've spoken...(read more)

ATSU-ASHS Alumnus Appointed to ARBoPA Board by Ariz. Gov.

2009-11-04T20:07:00Z

A.T. Still University Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) alumnus Geoffrey Hoffa, PA-C, was recently named to the Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants (ARBoPA) by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. He will replace Randy Danielsen, PhD, PA-C, dean of ATSU-ASHS, who has just completed his maximum two terms on the board. "When completing a term on an important regulatory board, it is always great to see younger, energetic people come forward," said Dr. Danielsen. "In this case I am even...(read more)

Florida PA and Nurse Create Educational Tool

2009-11-03T15:42:00Z

Since early 2009, Slava Makler, PA-C, BS, and Nadia Fakira, RN, BA, MA, have dedicated their time to improving patient care on the neurosurgical floor where they work at Florida Hospital in Orlando. With the goal of inspiring passion and reigniting a love of learning in their colleagues, Makler and Fakira created an educational board that displays models and descriptions of the most common prodecures. The board, which now hangs in the hallway on the neurosurgical floor, was unveiled on Monday, November...(read more)

Apparition Hemorrhage Spooks Neurologists

2009-10-29T16:15:00Z

In honor of Halloween, we share with you today a spooky medical anomaly courtesy of the NPR Health Blog. "Ghost in the Brain: An 'Apparition Hemorrhage'" features a CT scan of a 68-year-old man in a deep coma. Though the doctors suspected brain hemorrhage, they were unprepared for what they saw--a "spectral image" appeared on the scan. You can view it here . The massive hemorrhage in the man's brain was deemed irreversible by surgeons, and his family decided to withdraw respiratory care. The man...(read more)

Wake Forest University’s MMS-PhD Program Approved

2009-10-26T14:43:00Z

Ralph W. Rice, MPAS, PA-C, associate professor and associate director of the Wake Forest University PA program in Winston-Salem, N.C., recently told ADVANCE that the university's board of trustees has approved its proposed MMS-PhD program. The program, which would combine the PA program's master of medical science degree with a PhD in clinical and population translational science, would accept three to five of each class of 56 PA students each year, at most. According to Rice, the first class of...(read more)

In TIME, Surgeon Slights PAs

2009-10-23T16:28:00Z

In an article posted today, orthopedic surgeon and TIME Magazine writer Scott Haig discusses the nation's shortage of surgical assistants--and slights PAs as overly expensive and potentially inadequate "alternatives" to a surgical resident or fellow. In " The Case of the Missing Assistant Surgeon ," Haig notes that surgery has become as unattractive to new doctors as primary care, thus resulting in a shortage whereby hospitals have "resorted to" hiring PAs: Many programs have resorted to hiring physician...(read more)

Hofstra PA Students Try Matchmaking

2009-10-19T19:49:00Z

On Tuesday, October 13, in honor of Physician Assistant Week, PA students at Hofstra University held a day-long bone marrow drive. In partnership with the Be the Match program, the school's Society of Physician Assistant Students encouraged faculty, staff, students and community members to get tested for potential bone marrow compatibility with patients around the world who have been diagnosed with blood disorders, according to the University's newspaper, the Hofstra Chronicle . This was the first...(read more)

PA Resigns to Protest Dropped Patients

2009-10-15T14:55:00Z

Michigan PA Todd Chisholm resigned from his position at Hiawatha Behavioral Health on Monday morning as an apparent protest to the way that patients are being dropped, which is due to the source of funding rather than lack of need. He addressed the Chippewa County Board of Commissioners: “First and foremost,” said Chisolm of his reason for resigning, “is an administrative decision to try and discharge almost all non-Medicaid patients from the mental health system; specifically, indigent patients,...(read more)

Prison Hires a PA, Saves Money

2009-10-13T14:02:00Z

"The cost of medical care for inmates in Westmoreland County Prison is going up." But only in the short term, and to the benefit of PAs. The Pennsylvania prison has made a one-year deal with Naphcare, Inc., the facility's Alabama-based, longtime health care provider, which will increase what the county is expected to pay in 2009 by 5%. According to an article in The Tribune , "the additional money will pay for a physician's assistant to replace a duty nurse, which officials said will reduce health...(read more)

PA Billboards in Georgia

2009-10-12T18:29:00Z

The Georgia Association of Physician Assistants is extending PA week to last the entire month of October. To that end, GAPA has recently placed billboards in the state to raise awareness of the personal attention patients receive from Georgia’s PAs. In addition, GAPA has created a public service radio message and contacted media outlets throughout the state to spread the message of breast cancer awareness. The organization is also sponsoring programming throughout the month on every public radio...(read more)

News Article Praises PAs

2009-10-06T16:01:00Z

An article in today's Times Leader , a newspaper serving northeast Pennsylvania, focuses entirely on physician assistants. In honor of PA Week , which starts today, "The PA is in" tells the story of Justine Samanas, a PA at Mercy Special Care Hospital in Nanticoke: Justine Samanas is spending her workday seeing patients, listening to descriptions of their aches and pains, prescribing medication, setting up tests and doing some basic surgical procedures in the Nanticoke office of family medicine where...(read more)

From Patient to PA: The Importance of Organ Donation

2009-10-01T17:15:00Z

Sixteen years ago, Jim Ginter, president of the Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants and an ADVANCE author and peer reviewer, received a new kidney and discovered a new path in life. In an article in the Sheboygan Press , Ginter discusses the hereditary kidney disease that left him in need of dialysis at age 30 and the young organ donor who saved his life. The experience inspired Ginter to overcome his distaste for hospitals and pursue a medical career: Going from a "fainter" to a patient, and...(read more)

Honor Flight Article in The New York Times

2009-09-29T13:35:00Z

Here at ADVANCE , we’ve been following Ohio PA Earl Morse and his organization, Honor Flight, since its inception in 2005. I'm excited to share this recent feature article in The New York Times about one of Honor Flight’s largest trips yet: The idea for Honor Flight came from Earl Morse, who was a physician’s assistant at a Veterans Affairs clinic in Springfield, Ohio, when the World War II Memorial opened in 2004. “I would see my World War II veterans some three, six months later, and I’d ask them...(read more)

Cardiovascular Health Webcast to Feature PA Input

2009-09-21T15:33:00Z

Greg P. Thomas, PA, MPH, AAPA senior vice president for education, membership and resource development, will take part in “ Time to Talk CARDIO: Creating A Real Dialogue In the Office ,” a Webcast that takes place tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. EST. He will discuss implementation of the program with former surgeon general Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS. Time to Talk CARDIO advisory board members will present the innovative program to various medical societies, government organizations and patient...(read more)

New Health Care Reform Bill Recognizes PAs

2009-09-18T13:22:00Z

In a move that gets the ball rolling for health care reform, Montana Sen. Max Baucus has released America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009. While the bill is not yet complete, it contains several provisions in favor of physician assistants: The bill treats physicians, PAs, and NPs very similarly in the new patient models of care, including funding for “physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant-led home-based primary care programs with demonstrated expertise in serving high-cost beneficiaries...(read more)