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 ...

Have you visited our blogs lately? Last week, new NPs and nurse veterans battled on the value of floor experience. Our NP & PA Student blogger Terry Clarke, currently enrolled in a fast track NP program, expressed his views on what experienced nurses have going for them and what they still have to learn. Here are a few of the comments your ...

So now that the basic tenets of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are moving forward, who is going to provide all that primary care? A lot of people are counting on you to do it. But recent studies and surveys show that NPs and PAs are shifting to specialties and subspecialties at a fast clip. In response, thought leaders and family ...

Last month, after spending 12 hours in a compact car driving north to Toronto, Ontario, I attended the AAPA annual conference with 11 of my classmates. (I hope you enjoy the photos depicting this experience!) The conference was filled with highlights such as meeting the delightful editors of ADVANCE for NPs & PAs, Michelle and Jennifer, and ...

As NPs & PAs approached the holiday weekend (and with any luck, a few days off), and editor Michelle Perron Pronsati and senior associate editor Jennifer Ford arrived at the AAPA IMPACT conference, our social networks, community pages and articles buzzed with thoughtful comments and many heated opinions. Always a controversial topic ...

If you're not chatting with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, ''like'', ''follow'' and ''connect'' with us and start sharing in the conversations! If you are, keep following and spread the word! This week, our social media sites exploded with great comments from our readers. Here are some of the highlights, copied verbatim and without ...

The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) recently announced a set of 16 recommendations to promote the growth of the PA workforce. The task force, developed in October 2010, was charged with addressing future opportunities and challenges associated with expansion ...

Congress is in recess this month, and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) says it's the perfect time for you to inform your federal legislators about issues that matter to NPs and PAs. This week, NAPNAP posted a toolkit to assist NPs in doing this. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) has ...