In Practice: Reflections from NPs and PAs

March 29th, 2017

Deep Brain Stimulation Targeting in Neurosurgery, Part II of III

Bianca Belcher, MPH, PA-C

This is Part II of a three-part series on deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting designed for providers who lack an intimate level of knowledge and/or experience with this subject matter. In Part I, the ventralis intermedius (VIM) target as well as an overview of DBS, equipment, and programming were discussed. Globus Pallidus Internus (GPi) Where […]

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March 23rd, 2017

When Medicine Is Hard

Megan Tetlow, PA-C

My posts are usually lighthearted and (hopefully) informative observations on the differences between my experiences in medicine here in the U.K. versus the U.S. But today I am writing about something that’s both personal and cross-cultural —  something that has at times been a struggle for me and likely has been a struggle for health […]

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March 15th, 2017

Toxic Talent: Why High-Performing Jerks Aren’t Worth the Trouble

Harrison Reed, PA-C

Susan Fowler’s first day on the job did not go well. She had just joined the ride share company Uber as an engineer in late 2015 when the messages arrived. Hours into her first official assignment, Susan’s new manager contacted her over the company’s communication system to ask for sex. Susan was so struck by […]

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March 8th, 2017

Planning for End-of-Life Care: Patients and Providers Working Together

Elizabeth Donahue, RN, MSN, NP-C

I was sitting alone in a parking lot last Tuesday, waiting to meet one of my undergraduate students and her nursing preceptor for a hospice home visit. Little did I know, sitting there in my car, that I would not make it to that visit; instead I was redirected by a phone call to the […]

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March 3rd, 2017

Asking Pediatric Patients About Drug Use

Emily F. Moore, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC, CCRN

I remember the very first time I obtained an adolescent HEADSSS assessment in graduate school (HEADSSS being the acronym for Home environment, Education and employment, Eating, peer-related Activities, Drugs, Sexuality, Suicide/depression, and Safety from injury and violence). Walking into my patient’s room, I was likely more nervous than my patient was. I recall telling my […]

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March 1st, 2017

Listening to Bowel Sounds: An Outdated Practice?

Alexandra Godfrey, BSc PT, MS PA-C

Medical programs teach us that listening to bowel sounds is an essential part of the physical examination of the abdomen, especially when the differential includes ileus, small bowel obstruction, diarrhea or constipation. Woe betide the student who fails to auscultate the abdomen of patients with these presentations. Yet firstly there’s little supporting evidence for this maneuver, […]

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