ADVANCE Blog for PAs : General Health Care

"No Such Thing as Too Many PAs"

Heather Simons — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:52:00 GMT

AAPA president Stephen Hanson has published an opinion piece, " 'Make more of them' isn't the only solution to America's physician shortage ," in The Bakersfield Californian endorsing PAs as an integral part of the solution to a growing physician shortage....(read more)

Fixing the Problem with Primary Care

Heather Simons — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:05:00 GMT

A recent article in The New York Times discusses how " Primary Care's Image Problem " is leading the vast majority of med students into specialties over primary care and how the patient-centered medical home model could alter the course of this alarming...(read more)

Florida PA and Nurse Create Educational Tool

Heather Simons — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:42:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Apparition Hemorrhage Spooks Neurologists

Heather Simons — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:15:00 GMT

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,...(read more)

In TIME, Surgeon Slights PAs

Heather Simons — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:28:00 GMT

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....(read more)

Hofstra PA Students Try Matchmaking

Heather Simons — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:49:00 GMT

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,...(read more)

Prison Hires a PA, Saves Money

Heather Simons — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:02:00 GMT

"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...(read more)

News Article Praises PAs

Heather Simons — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:01:00 GMT

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...(read more)

From Patient to PA: The Importance of Organ Donation

Heather Simons — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:15:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Cardiovascular Health Webcast to Feature PA Input

Terri Schaefer — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:33:00 GMT

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...(read more)

New Health Care Reform Bill Recognizes PAs

Heather Simons — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:22:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Pharmacist: PAs Are 'Barefoot Doctors' With Minimum Training

Terri Schaefer — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:24:00 GMT

California pharmacist Barbara Morris has made her thoughts about physician assistants known in a news release about the ramifications of a primary care physician shortage under a new health care plan. She insinuates that PAs have minimal training, and...(read more)

PAs Could Increase Access to Abortion

Terri Schaefer — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:06:00 GMT

An article that originally appeared in the August issue of Contraception argues that increasing the number of PAs, NPs and certified nurse midwives who perform first-trimester abortions could help improve the declining availability of abortion care. The...(read more)

PA Makes Real Health Care Personal

Terri Schaefer — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:51:00 GMT

Over the weekend, the Gwinnett Daily Post published a piece about Georgia PA Larry LaViola, who practiced at Snellville Medical Group for 35 years until his death on August 30. In the article, the author, Susan Gast, crafted a wonderful tribute to her...(read more)

PA Student Develops Instrument to Estimate Calcium Intake

Terri Schaefer — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Morgan Henry, a PA student at the Keck School of Medicine USC Primary Care Physician Assistant Program in California, along with Hawley Almstedt, PhD, has developed a validated research questionnaire to accurately estimate calcium intake. Their research...(read more)