[sirI]

Hello, caldje,

Not at all ~ glad you are here to provide links and information regarding the PA. We welcome you.

I'm very happy that NPs and PAs can come together at allnurses.com and offer alternatives for the membership. If we ALL could work together like this, WOW ~ what a difference we could make.

Possibilities would be ENDLESS!! Again, thank you.

[Noreaster]

The differences in both should be spelled out, thus it is good getting both NPs' and PAs' viewpoints on these professions, as the OP'er requested. I often see nurses and NPs on the popular PA forum I often visit and it is entirly welcomed, as should be other professions on this site too--negativeity aside.

JI'm a PA and work very autonomously. I do not need to "run everything" past the doc nor have everything okayed by nor signed by a doc. I ask whenever I have a question, which is a good thing for the patient, right? I write all my own scrips and fully diagnose, order tests, and interpret them, and make medical decisions, and carry out treatment plans, etc, etc... I think your preception of PAs is a little off. The indipendence thing isn't something that is as much of an issue as some make it out to be because many mid-levels, both NPs and PAs often work practically very much the same--practically speaking.

[freakyaye]

Heh i just have something to contribute, this whole discussion about NP or PA, in Australia is mute as we don't have PA's. When studying for your NP (Masters) you choose between two electives, one in medical the other in surgical.

[freakyaye]

also, regarding the post above mine, in Australia NPs can order medical tests, but thats it. Just 'initiate' them.

[Noreaster]

Originally Posted by freakyaye

Heh i just have something to contribute, this whole discussion about NP or PA, in Australia is mute as we don't have PA's. When studying for your NP (Masters) you choose between two electives, one in medical the other in surgical.

huh, didn't know that about Australia. Right now, PAs are being initiated in England. Many PAs have gone over there to help things get started; I've a friend, who has gone over for a few months.

Too bad about NPs in Aussie only being "initiators" in getting tests going; it sounds like a pretty restrictive place for a NP to be.

[Bala Shark]

Physician assistants (PAs) provide health care services with supervision by physicians. They should not be confused with medical assistants, who perform routine clinical and clerical tasks. PAs are formally trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services, as delegated by a physician. Working as members of the health care team, they take medical histories, examine patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and x- rays, and make diagnoses. They also treat minor injuries by suturing, splinting, and casting. PAs record progress notes, instruct and counsel patients, and order or carry out therapy. In 46 States and the District of Columbia, physician assistants may prescribe medications. PAs may also have managerial duties. Some order medical and laboratory supplies and equipment and may supervise technicians and assistants.

Physician assistants always work with the supervision of a physician. However, PAs may provide care in rural or inner city clinics where a physician is present for only 1 or 2 days each week, conferring with the supervising physician and other medical professionals as needed or required by law. PAs may also make house calls or go to hospitals and nursing homes to check on patients and report back to the physician.

The duties of physician assistants are determined by the supervising physician and by State law. Aspiring PAs should investigate the laws and regulations in the States where they wish to practice.

Many PAs work in primary care areas such as general internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine. Others work in specialty areas, such as general and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, orthopedics, and geriatrics. PAs specializing in surgery provide pre- and post-operative care and may work as first or second assistants during major surgery.

All States require that new PAs complete an accredited, formal education program. As of July 1999, there were 116 accredited or provisionally accredited educational programs for physician assistants; 64 of these programs offered a bachelor's degree or a degree option. The rest offered either a certificate, an associate degree, or a master's degree. Most PA graduates have at least a bachelor's degree.

http://www.bls.gov

[Noreaster]

Originally Posted by Bala Shark

Physician assistants always work with the supervision of a physician.
http://www.bls.gov

Here's a point of contention: The above sentance is quite true. It is, however, often misinturpreted and misunderstood. Many seem to think that having a supervising physician, (SP), means that every thing must be okay'd, run past, approved by, checked, and/or singed off, by the SP. This is often not the case. It does depend upon what state one is in, however. A lot of the times, as it is in my case, PAs work autonomously and collaborate with a SP, whenever questions arise, or as needed. It actually takes good judgement skills to do this because most SPs don't want everything brought to them.

In my practice, my SP has expressed confidence in my skills and his attitude is that I will work autonomously and when I have a question, I'll ask. He instills that confidence to patients as well, which goes a long way. I'm also in a surgical subspecialty and sometimes need to ask the surgeon to come in to meet my patient, whom I've worked up and surgery looks like a next viable option.

For the record: In my state, no charts need to be co-signed. In NH, where I am, the NH Board of Medicine (of which I'm licensed to practice), lets the SP & PA relationship come up with their own plan of how supervising works. In a lot of cases (and mine) the SP is fine with the natural dynamic of how things work becuase there's a regular dialog with at least 1 patient a day and a dialog of all in-house patients I've rounded on, which keeps the SP pretty well-aware of things.

Personally, I wish the term supervising physician was not chosen because it is often misunderstood. I am enveous of the term collaborative physician, that NPs have because the word much-better describes what is taking place. That is an excellent choice in terminology in practice dynamics.

[Bala Shark]

That was written in a government agency..I believe it has truth to it thou..Unless you want to challenge the government on what they write..But in reality, dont you think a PA, I maean they cannot be independent all the time because they dont have the amount of education that the MD has..

[Noreaster]

Originally Posted by Bala Shark

That was written in a government agency..I believe it has truth to it thou..Unless you want to challenge the government on what they write..But in reality, dont you think a PA, I maean they cannot be independent all the time because they dont have the amount of education that the MD has..

Where did I say that a PA can be independent all the time? I did not. In my last post, I think I made it pretty clear on the proper and real dynamics--at least in my state. Please don't misunderstand my post b/c I am not--repeat--not interested in the old "Independence" battle. There is some level of independence with a PA, for sure, but my last post pretty much spells that out and it does, in fact, vary from job-to-job and state-to-state.

Oh, and, by the way, the government has mis-spoken about this topic before so, don't be too naive--although this one is pretty much on the money, with the exception that a lot of PAs, nowadays, are getting Master's degrees.

[sneaky1]

Hello All:

I have been reading up on both the PA and the NP fields for about a year or more. From what I understand, The NP teaches you to think like a nurse and the PA is tought to think and act just like a doctor. The NP leads to a specialty and PA program is patterned after the medical school curriculum (. Also, according to one PA commision, the AMA watches the PA program and the accrediting body very closely. As the nursing shortage gets worse and the health insurance companies get leaner, the PA will become more and more popular. I am applying for both programs for next year but, would prefer the graduate PA program.

sneaky1