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 Driscoll […]

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May 11th, 2017

Leaving Against Medical Advice (AMA): A Clinician’s Dilemma

Alexandra Godfrey, BSc PT, MS PA-C

“You’ll have to sign out against medical advice (AMA) . Your blood pressure is high.” The ER physician stood in the doorway of my room. “What difference would it make now?” I asked. The doctor fiddled with the cuffs of his white coat, then glanced at his cell phone. I picked up my car keys. “High blood pressure is dangerous,” […]

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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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January 19th, 2017

Interview with Jon Harris, PA-C — Health Care for the Homeless

Bianca Belcher, MPH, PA-C

I met Jon Harris, PA-C, during his days as a PA student at Northeastern University and was immediately impressed. He excelled in my course, and I knew that he was destined to be an impactful clinician. He previously had graduated from Columbia University with a degree in environmental sciences and spent several years working in […]

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September 14th, 2016

Service Industry

Harrison Reed, PA-C

“You little clown,” A fleck of saliva flew from his mouth with each word. “Are you making a joke?” The back of my neck grew hot as I sweltered under the man’s glare. He had arrived to the airport hours before his scheduled flight dragging his wife and three kids, depleted from a week at Disney […]

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April 6th, 2016

Providers Need Care Too

Scott Cuyjet, RN, MSN, FNP-C

As a nurse practitioner, I was taught to not be too emotional or share too much about myself with my patients so as not to make the clinical visit about me. I have learned over time that being emotional and sharing does not come easily for me, nor is it always in the best interest […]

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