Question for you:  How do you find your medical provider? The most obvious of answers to this question is our dear friend, Google. What was life like before this search engine giant? I don't remember. I mean, seriously, who doesn't google twenty things throughout the course of the day? The truth is, however, there ...

I'm not a doctor basher. In fact I'm actually quite the contrary. Over the course of my career I have worked with some great docs. They have been encouraging, helpful and generally treated me as a peer. During my education I had physician preceptors and early in my career I had physician mentors. In my practice I have consulted with ...

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 ...

So I've written about cases the last couple of times and I'm thinking it's time to give you guys an update. I've been in my position as NP in an acute care setting seeing cardiology patients for 3 months now. I can't believe it! It's going really well and I'm really grateful that this opportunity was given to me. I've learned so much already ...

We made it through one quarter of my first year as a physician assistant. Let's take this opportunity to reflect on some of the lessons learned during my first three months. It's sort of like your boss' 90-day evaluation, but without the sense of impending doom. Transition is Tough - Whether you are moving into a new career or a new city ...

For as long as I can remember, NPs and PAs have been repeating the mantra of ''same care, less cost.'' I am beginning to wonder if our some of our messages are now coming back to haunt us. It wouldn't be the first time good intentions turned out to have unintended consequences.   When I was a student I once discussed this very subject ...

I had a student ask me recently if I had a dermatoscope and if I could show her how to use it. The answer was simple enough. No, I don't need one. This of course led to the logical question...Why? This blog post was inspired by this exchange. The simplest answer to this question is that if I see something that looks abnormal, I biopsy it. ...

So I go from working part-time as a nurse to not really working and just doing clinicals. My preceptors were pretty good about working with us regarding schedules, which was amazing because I have 2 kids and a crazy husband. This was more beneficial than I EVER realized! Now? I realize... Let's see... In my first three weeks, I've gotten ...

Have you received a job offer but you just aren't sure you are ready to accept? Maybe you feel a little rushed, maybe you didn't get all your questions answered. This happens more often than you think.  I always tell job seekers that getting a job offer is a bit like receiving a marriage proposal. It's very flattering to know that you ...

Well, as you guys know, I've passed boards and have already accepted a position in an acute care setting. I actually started yesterday and am so excited! So far I've been in orientation and the anticipation of actually rounding and caring for patients is killing me! I start rounding next week and am really looking forward to sharing this ...