ADVANCE Blog for PAs

The ADVANCE Blog for PAs signs off

2010-08-20T17:45:00Z

I notw with a mixture of excitement and wistfulness that this will be the final post to the ADVANCE Blog for PAs. I’m excited, because when you log on to the ADVANCE webpage Monday morning, you’ll be greeted with a brand new site, www.advanceweb.com/nppa , that will welcome you in along with your NP colleagues. The site’s launch coincides with the launch of our new print publication, ADVANCE for NPs & PAs , which will take over for ADVANCE for Physician Assistants and its sister publication,...(read more)

NPR interviews PA about new study of girls' & puberty

2010-08-12T19:23:00Z

This item from the AAPA about a report I heard on NPR's "All Things Considered" show on Monday jogged my memory about why the interviewee's name was so familiar. Marcia Herman-Giddens, PA, DrPH contributed to the August 9th edition of National Public Radio's All Things Considered as a feature story on early puberty in girls. Dr. Herman-Giddens was the lead author of a study published 13 years ago that was the initial work on puberty onset and has set the stage for additional investigation. The NPR...(read more)

NCCPA implements a name change for PAs

2010-08-11T15:39:00Z

The NCCPA has announced a name change for PAs. No, not that name change. The commission has renamed its PA “specialty certification” program a “certificate of added qualifications” program, according to a press release. While the release itself isn’t posted at the NCCPA’s website today, the new “CAQ” language is already in place there . In the release, NCCPA's Mark Christiansen says the new CAQ label shows that the designation is “above and beyond the PA-C, which remains the foundational credential...(read more)

U.S. News’ top 3 tips to PA wannabes

2010-08-06T14:33:00Z

U.S. News and World Report today posted an article about the PA profession in the “Best Graduate Schools” section of its website. “Why Physician Assistant School May be Right for You,” the subhead of which proclaims, “It's one of the fastest growing careers in the country. Learn about how to get into a top program,” offers three basic but spot-on bits of advice for prospective PA students. It also describes the profession, but with a few sloppy factual errors. The decision between PA school and medical...(read more)

Marquette launches PA emergency medicine fellowship

2010-07-26T13:42:00Z

The Marquette University PA program in Milwaukee last week announced the launching of a postgraduate emergency medicine fellowship . The one-year postgraduate certificate program is a collaboration with Aurora-Sinai Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Marquette’s program is the seventh emergency medicine fellowship. The Association of Postgraduate PA Programs has a list of all U.S. postgraduate PA programs at its site. Link...(read more)

AFPPA polls PAs on ‘physician associate’

2010-07-15T17:23:00Z

The Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants recently posted at its website the results of a survey it conducted on PAs’ opinions about changing the name ‘physician assistant’ to ‘physician associate.’ According to the poll, 102 of 128 respondents, nearly 80%, were in favor of the name change and 111 of 128 respondents, 86%, felt that the title Physician Assistant does not accurately convey the role of a PA to the general public. Many comments indicated that while some favored a name change...(read more)

GAPA educates about emergencies (and PAs, too)

2010-07-14T15:39:00Z

Georgia has one of the most visible state PA chapters, and if you were in Atlanta for the AAPA conference earlier this year, you likely noticed GAPA’s huge welcoming billboard near the Georgia World Congress Center. As a part of its patient awareness and advocacy campaign, GAPA recently issued a press release aimed at helping parents avoid unnecessary emergency room trips for their kids—and, of course, teaching them about the PA profession in the process. From the release: It’s the middle of the...(read more)

Is Avandia Safe? Conflicting Information Swirls

2010-06-30T19:21:00Z

Questions about the safety of Avandia are all over the news today after two studies published Monday suggest an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and death for people taking rosiglitazone for diabetes treatment. Researchers in one study, published in JAMA , looked at more than 227,000 people who took either Avandia or Actos and found that those using Avandia had an increased risk of stroke, heart failure and death. In the second study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine , an update...(read more)

Afghanistan Civilians to Be Trained as PAs

2010-06-21T20:26:00Z

Interesting post today to the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan Blog, from U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Rachel Martinez, about how nearly 200 Afghan civilians (including four women) showed up today as applicants to a new program that will admit 50 of them into what is being called a physician assistant program. The program will address the shortage of medical providers in the country. The 50 will join 30 Afghan National Army soldiers who are already attending the combat medic course. With soldiers and...(read more)

Maryland PA is an 'All-Star Among Us'

2010-06-16T19:00:00Z

The Carroll County Times published an article about Maryland PA Casey Davis, who was honored at this past Saturday's Orioles-Mets game at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Davis works the night shift as a PA at Carroll Hospital Center's emergency ward, and on his own time, operates the website for which he was being honored. Davis, 31, the founder of deafMD.org, was selected as one of the Orioles' three finalists for the 2010 "People All-Stars Among Us," a national campaign operated by People Magazine and...(read more)

A Glimpse Inside the Cadaver Lab

2010-06-10T18:15:00Z

In the past few years, there have been more and more PA students chronicling their experiences in blogs (In fact, check out our ADVANCE student blogs here and here ). I really liked yesterday’s post at “Katie's Exciting Adventures in PA School Land.” Katie, a new student at the University of Colorado, wrote an interesting entry about her first experience in the cadaver lab: We proceeded to our designated humidor, sort of a large, stainless-steel tray with a lid that folds down. We opened the lid,...(read more)

Karen Bass Lands Decisive Primary Victory

2010-06-09T18:28:00Z

Former California PA Karen Bass, who was termed out of her position as the state’s Assembly Speaker, won the Democratic primary last night for a 33rd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In fact, Bass, “trounced political newcomer Felton Newell, a deputy Los Angeles city attorney, and two other Democrats,” according to the Los Angeles Times . "I'm just very excited," Bass said in a telephone interview from her election night party. "I have been really honored to have...(read more)

Canadian Journal Finds PAs "Integrate Well"

2010-06-08T15:08:00Z

The Canadian Journal of Surgery published a study in April, " Experience with physician assistants in a Canadian arthroplasty program ," focused on how PAs can help with the demand for orthopedic services. The researchers calculated time savings by diaries kept by PAs at a arthroplasty practice, among other methods. The outcome of the study was positive: In this study, PAs “saved” their supervising physician about 204 hours per year; this time can be used for other clinical, administrative or research...(read more)

Continuing Coverage of the PA Conference

2010-06-01T21:19:00Z

ATLANTA—Here at IMPACT 2010, the 38th annual PA conference, the AAPA House of Delegates voted on a number of important PA policy issues that stand to have a significant effect on the academy and the profession. A showdown between the HOD and the AAPA board of directors (BOD) was averted with a compromise reached between the board and the house with the assistance of AAPA’s legal counsel. Backstory: AAPA hires new legal team. Legal team finds AAPA governing structure noncompliant with the law. HOD...(read more)

AAPA Leaders Questioned During Town Hall

2010-05-31T21:10:00Z

Late yesterday afternoon, AAPA president Stephen Hanson, president-elect Patrick Killeen and CEO Bill Leinweber assembled with "Antiques Roadshow" host Mark Walberg, the emcee for the second annual Town Hall event. For an hour, they took many questions from PAs in the audience and online. Here are some highlights: • A PA from Georgia asked about updates from the academy regarding its financial situation. Killeen assured attendees that despite $1.5 million in losses, "We’re financially sound." • A...(read more)