In Practice: Reflections from NPs and PAs

June 27th, 2017

Bring Back the Letter of Condolence

Harrison Reed, PA-C

I don’t remember the first time I watched someone die. I don’t remember the second or third time either. But I know it happened when I was 24 years old, and I know that, afterward, I went home, ate dinner, and went to sleep. The next morning I woke up, put on a clean pair […]

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June 20th, 2017

Mending Broken Hearts: A Profile of a Heart Surgeon

Alexandra Godfrey, BSc PT, MS PA-C

“Resilience makes space for feelings. It’s different from depersonalization—something that we see in medicine today. The depersonalized response to tragedy is ‘too bad, so sad, get on with it.’ Depersonalized physicians believe feelings are too risky and painful, so they can’t imagine that feelings exist in others.”—Ross Ungerleider, MD Ross Ungerleider, pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon at […]

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June 15th, 2017

Educating Patients About HPV Vaccination Can Feel Like Peddling Snake Oil

Elizabeth Donahue, RN, MSN, NP-C

Messaging and medicine have always gone hand in hand. A Google search for wellness products of yesteryear produces a vibrant collection of ads for lotions and potions. Cod liver oil, hair tonics, and other extracts (including opium!) were promised to keep you feeling healthy and looking great. And using medical professionals to bolster product claims has long been popular in […]

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June 9th, 2017

How Giving Friends and Family Medical Advice Made Me Sick

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

The other night, my sister called me asking if she should take my niece to the emergency department.  She had been complaining of abdominal pain with on-and-off vomiting and diarrhea for a couple days.  According to my sister, she had gotten to the point where the pain was unbearable. I quickly ran through my niece’s […]

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