In Practice: Reflections from NPs and PAs

August 24th, 2017

How to Land Your Dream PA or NP Job While You’re Still in School

Megan Tetlow, PA-C

I have the pleasure of working with multiple PA students, both as a clinical preceptor and through teaching at the university. I’ve found myself fielding the “how do I find a job?” question a lot recently, so I thought I would address it here. I think the best way to find a job as a PA […]

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August 3rd, 2017

“As I Lay Dying” — Patient Readmission and Non-Compliance

Alexandra Godfrey, BSc PT, MS PA-C

As I tie the last knot in a neat row of nine sutures, the night nurse calls me to room two. I  drop my hemostats, peel off my gloves, and tell my patient I will be back. Across the hall, I find a girl thrashing around the gurney, chest heaving up and down, hands clasped around her […]

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July 12th, 2017

You Might Be an American Physician Assistant in the U.K. if …

Megan Tetlow, PA-C

Somewhere between figuring out what foods classify as puddings* and learning how to make the physician assistant (PA) role work within the National Health Service, my colleagues and I find that we have arrived at our 1-year anniversary of working in the U.K. As I reflect on both the successes and struggles of adapting to […]

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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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May 18th, 2017

Changing Health Care — Reflections from Across the Pond

Megan Tetlow, PA-C

I’m an American physician assistant living and working for the government-funded National Health Service (NHS) in the U.K. I also write for this blog about the differences between the U.S. and U.K. health systems. I have thus far been moderately successful at avoiding political discussions in the public sphere. But the recent passage of the […]

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February 13th, 2017

What’s Your Sign(out)?

Harrison Reed, PA-C

My house is a disaster zone. After working a string of 12-hour shifts, there is a mountain of dishes in the sink and a minefield of dirty clothes on the floor. As I navigate that post-apocalyptic landscape, my mind tends to wander back to the hospital I just left. I sometimes pause on the small […]

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February 8th, 2017

Want to Work Abroad?

Megan Tetlow, PA-C

Have you ever thought about working abroad? Maybe like me you’ve always daydreamed about living and working in another country, maybe you’re hungry for a new experience, or perhaps recent political news in the U.S. has you googling the feasibility of moving to Canada. Regardless of your motivations, for those individuals motivated and willing to […]

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January 26th, 2017

Can Medical Professionals Ask Patients About Guns?

Alexandra Godfrey, BSc PT, MS PA-C

A student recently asked me if clinicians can talk to patients about gun ownership and safety. Her question triggered my month-long search for data to provide a solid evidence-based response. Alas, my research did not unearth such an answer. But I did find endless writing that discussed this increasingly contentious question in terms of rights, ideology, […]

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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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January 8th, 2017

7 Medical Terms to Ditch in 2017

Harrison Reed, PA-C

Your new diet plan might fail. That daily planner might collect dust on the corner of your desk. The gym membership gifted by a well-intentioned (but not-so-subtle) cousin might go unused. But fear not. You can still resolve to make 2017 just a little bit better than last year. And it starts by cleaning out […]

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