In Practice: Reflections from NPs and PAs

November 25th, 2015

Looking and Finding

Harrison Reed, PA-C

Harrison Reed, PA-C, practices emergency medicine in Las Vegas, NV. I sat in the bulky padded chair and eyed the mechanical gadgetry around me. “What did you say this was for?” I tried to not sound confrontational, but there must be some deformity of my vocal cords that makes it hard. “It’s called a CT […]

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November 18th, 2015

The Name Game

Elizabeth Donahue, RN, MSN, NP-C

Elizabeth Donahue, RN, MSN, NP-C, practices adult primary care medicine in Boston, MA. Nice to meet you, my name is Elizabeth… I think. My mother, a woman who was referred to by her middle name for her entire life because her own grandmother had such a distaste for her actual name, insisted that her daughters […]

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November 12th, 2015

Towards a Better Understanding of the Advanced Practice Provider’s Role

Scott Cuyjet, RN, MSN, FNP-C

Recently, a registered nurse was demeaned for wearing a stethoscope in a beauty pageant by some who believe it is an instrument solely for use by doctors. Hopefully the consequent backlash resulted in educating the general public that it is a tool used by many in the medical profession. It was nice to see many […]

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November 4th, 2015

What Should “PA” Stand For?

Bianca Belcher, MPH, PA-C

Bianca Belcher, MPH, PA-C, practices neurosurgery in Boston, MA. In the past few years, the charge to rename our profession from “physician assistant” to “physician associate” has gained momentum. Although a name change would not alter the scope of what PAs do on a day-to-day basis, the argument is that it might better inform our […]

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