Since graduation, I've had plenty of reminders - good and bad - that I am no longer a student. There is the ''PA-C'' behind my name and my shiny new state license. A paycheck arrives every two weeks like an airplane dropping supplies on a desert island. And, of course, I now hold myself to an even higher professional standard. While these ...

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday! We got a lot of great comments from readers over the last week on www.advanceweb.com/NPPA. Here are just a few: On the article Nurse Practitioner Residency Programs and Healthcare Reform: ''As technology advances and more knowledge is required to deliver healthcare, the DNP degree is the ...

ADVANCE for NPs & PAs staff is bracing for Hurricane Sandy near Philadelphia, Pa. today, and we wish the best to all those along the East coast who are suffering from the storm's damage. Across the country, NPs and PAs are still heating up our communities with the latest in healthcare. On our article ...

Our ADVANCE for NPs & PAs community is always growing and providing better feedback every week. Our social media goal this week is to hit 2,000 fans on Facebook. We're only 28 ''likes'' away! If you're not already following us, make sure to check out our page and let us know what you think. If you are, share our page with your colleagues and ...

This week, we are celebrating PA Week 2012! The festivities kicked off on October 6 for PA Day, remembering the father of the profession, Eugene A. Stead Jr., MD. We would love to hear how your facility is celebrating. Send your pictures of all the fun to assistant editor Kelly Wolfgang and we'll share with other PAs and NPs on our Facebook page ...

Last week, NP and PA readers submitted questions to our communities asking for advice from fellow clinicians. Below are a sample - if you have any advice for these NPs and PAs, comment on the respective article or share with us here and we'll make sure to pass along the wisdom. Have something you'd like a clearer answer on? Let us know on our ...

Last week, a reader commented with praise for both NPs and PAs on our 2012 National Salary Survey of NPs & PAs. ''I am proud to see PAs and NPs getting along in the medical field. Both are great professions. I was an RN for 13 years prior to becoming a PA. I have been a PA for 8 years. I chose PA, because in 2001, NPs were basically ...

In our recent Opinions & Essays article ''PAs: The Need Is Great, the Time Is Now,'' author Sharon Bahrych, PA-C, MPH, responded to reader Tina's concerns about choosing the correct career path. ''Yes, you are definitely not alone in your feelings at this stage of your career. Try to find a local NP group that meets once a month for CME, ...

The first full week of June has been an exciting one for NPs and PAs! Across our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages, readers weighed in on the top issues. On Facebook this week, we discussed the recent DNP Answers blog post ''Time Management for a DNP Degree.'' Blogger Lisa Chism, NP, explained the difficulties of balancing DNP ...

On Facebook, we had a lot of great comments from readers across the country. In response to our Career Coach article ''Middle of What?'' addressing concerns of the term ''mid-level provider,'' readers expressed their views. ''We are midlevels? Midway between who or what? Dislike the term! Sounds as though we are only mediocre in what we do, ...