Posted on Apr 30, 2014
Physicians Assistants. What are your experience with them?
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My experience with them is that they strive to listen and do a good job especially with the more elderly patients. Perhaps even better than some doctors. What do you think?
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 25
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I would take a PA over an MD/DO any day at the MDG. My first experience with a PA was Capt Keisow at McGuire. He was both mine and my wife's PCM. When my wife almost died, he went and visited her at the civilian hospital everyday AFTER his duty ended, worked with my Commander to see that I was placed on con-leave to take care of my wife and 3,1, and newborn. After my wife was finally released several months later, worked with me to get her moved to the premier hospital for her issue 3 states away.
Not every PA since that time has be that AMAZING, but all have truly cared about my and my family's health, which is more then I can say about the MD/DO's I have dealt with.
Not every PA since that time has be that AMAZING, but all have truly cared about my and my family's health, which is more then I can say about the MD/DO's I have dealt with.
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Suspended Profile
Nurse Practitioners tend to be better. PA's have very limited in scope of practice.
Where doctors may be very limited in time allowed, NP's & PA's have more time.
Where doctors may be very limited in time allowed, NP's & PA's have more time.
LTC Paul Labrador
LTC (Join to see), I think the reason why the Army slots PA's a BN level vs. NPs is twofold: 1) historical - the line primary care mission has always been a PA position. Not true anymore as that BN and BDE PA slot can now be filled in by an NP as their primary care roles are for all intents an purposes the same. 2) inventory issues - the Army has more PAs than NPs. PA's are cheaper to make than NPs. Why? Because Army PAs almost 100% come from the enlisted side and trained in Army programs, and thus have less costs associated with training them. NP's are always experienced ANC officers, usually senior captains or junior majors, and although now are all taught as USUSH, have more associated costs with their training.
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LTC Paul Labrador
Also, PAs tend to get more procedure training than NPs generally do, at least early on, which makes them a bit more functional in BN provider role which has the trauma component as well as the primary care component.
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LTC (Join to see)
LTC Paul Labrador Sir, there are about 100,000 more NPs in the US than PAs. While there are exceptions to every rule, I have seen no memorandum which make PAs and NPs interchangeable as a matter of course. I would welcome an AMEDD recruiter to comment on the number of direct accession PAs vs. IPAP trained but a substantial number are civilian trained. I would welcome comment from colleague providers as to the importance of a medical professional's experience in battalion aid station operations and training medics in staffing Role 1.
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LTC Paul Labrador
LTC (Join to see), I wasn't talking about civilian world, but the active Army world. While there may be more NPs than PAs in general, they are not in uniform. Second, the ones IN uniform are not all in clinical provider roles. Army NPs tend to be senior in rank, and don't stay in the provider roles as they become more senior. By the time an Army NP reaches the rank of LTC, they are typically fully admin at that point. Whereas a PA is typically going to be clinical their entire career (most typically retire as MAJs). The interchangability of NPs and PAs has been going on for a while now, particularly when trying to fill provider slots in deploying units. This is being done at Branch level with individual NPs being tagged to fill PA slots that the PA manger can't fill.
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PAs do a great job but they will never replace physicians. They are great for minor things.
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The Physician Assistant is a product of necessity. To meet the crushing demand for MDs in the Post WWII years, an innovative Medical Professor at Duke University recruited four former Navy Corpsmen with extensive combat experience to participate in a new test program he had created to get qualified practitioners into the field more expediently to mitigate the impacts of the shortage until medical schools could catch up with the demand. Long story short, the Physician Assistant concept was a hit; particularly to the Navy and Air Force, who adopted and internalized the occupation immediately. The Army followed suit later in the 1950s.
From day one, the PA has worked flawlessly as designed - a force and combat multiplier that provides the Medical Corps of all Service Branches with greater flexibility and efficiency in providing aid and care to their respective forces.
Today, the Interservice Physician Assistant Program is considered one of the premier programs in the nation; many of the top civilian PA programs have borrowed elements of the IPAP curriculum when developing their own.
If you are a Veteran and contemplating a return to Active Duty, especially is you intend to expend your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, going PA might be an option worth looking into. My civilian wife, at the age of 33 upon the completion of her program at UW-Madison was heavily recruited by the Navy, Army, and Air Force, tempted with lucrative signing bonuses, and the Air Force even offered a direct commission to O-3.
From day one, the PA has worked flawlessly as designed - a force and combat multiplier that provides the Medical Corps of all Service Branches with greater flexibility and efficiency in providing aid and care to their respective forces.
Today, the Interservice Physician Assistant Program is considered one of the premier programs in the nation; many of the top civilian PA programs have borrowed elements of the IPAP curriculum when developing their own.
If you are a Veteran and contemplating a return to Active Duty, especially is you intend to expend your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, going PA might be an option worth looking into. My civilian wife, at the age of 33 upon the completion of her program at UW-Madison was heavily recruited by the Navy, Army, and Air Force, tempted with lucrative signing bonuses, and the Air Force even offered a direct commission to O-3.
A brief history of AAPA and the PA profession.
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PAs in the military or in general?
PAs in the military - give out Tylenol like a beast...best Tylenol dispensers ever.
PAs in the military - give out Tylenol like a beast...best Tylenol dispensers ever.
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My PCM for the last 4 years has been a physician assistant. He's been great and wouldn't have changed it. He's always done his best to help me or give me the referrals that I needed. He listened to me and has helped me through some struggles that I had. And he was a cheerleader when I needed it.
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My Primary Care is a NP and I'm very happy with the care I receive. Prior to that my PC was a PA. I prefer to see a NP or PA to a physician because they take more time.
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My experiences with PAs have been far more positive than with NPs as co-workers and as health care providers.
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The only PA I deal with Reguarly with is my Dentist but he is a saint.
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Years ago I had a very bad experience with a physician's assistant: he treated me in a way that made things worse, and when I got to see a doctor and told him what had happened, he tactfully told me - trying not to "attack" the PA - that the treatment I received was out of line, wrong, should never have been done.
I now see a nurse practitioner, an active duty LTC, and she is one of the best "doctors" I have ever had. I can think of one other doctor who took as much time and cared as much. Sometimes these caring doctors (and nurse practitioners) run behind, but I'm willing to wait because I know they will take the time to listen to me, too, and to care.
I now see a nurse practitioner, an active duty LTC, and she is one of the best "doctors" I have ever had. I can think of one other doctor who took as much time and cared as much. Sometimes these caring doctors (and nurse practitioners) run behind, but I'm willing to wait because I know they will take the time to listen to me, too, and to care.
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