In Practice: Reflections from NPs and PAs

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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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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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 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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June 3rd, 2016

The Sound of Silence

Charity Maniates, MSPA, MPH, PA-C

Skilled rehabilitation facilities are faced with a troubling trend. Rather than the majority of patients recovering with straightforward joint replacement surgeries, these facilities have become a crossroad for patients to transition to long-term, palliative, or hospice care. Patients discharging from the hospital assume that during a period of one to two weeks, they will transform […]

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March 22nd, 2016

The Art of Listening – Beyond Your Patient

Charity Maniates, MSPA, MPH, PA-C

Opening the door slowly, I poked my head in the dimly lit room and glimpsed my patient’s petite frame leaning forward in her bed. I sat on the edge of the mattress, noting how tired the patient looked. The physical therapist was concluding the last session prior to her discharge that afternoon. After inquiring how the […]

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February 24th, 2016

My Profession Made Me a Better Person

Bianca Belcher, MPH, PA-C

I love practicing medicine. As a student, I devoured chapter after chapter of medical books. I listened to didactic lectures on repeat all the while envisioning myself bettering sick patients’ lives with treatments and curative procedures. The idea of this brought me a great sense of joy and excitement. In hindsight, I had been imagining […]

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January 20th, 2016

4 Indirect Ways Outpatient PAs Can Contribute to Practice Growth

Bianca Belcher, MPH, PA-C

In many clinical practices PAs are integral members of the patient care team. We round. We order and interpret labs and imaging. We assist in the OR. We see patients in clinic. We contribute significantly day to day to make sure we provide the best care possible, and we formulate bonds with our patients and […]

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January 6th, 2016

Good, Then Fast

Harrison Reed, PA-C

“I hate to say it, but in this job it’s better to be fast than good.” And I hate to hear it. I hate that, as the years go by, it’s a concept that seems to grow in popularity. I hate that the people saying it have been working much longer than me. I should respect […]

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October 28th, 2015

Much Ado About a Fall

Charity Maniates, MSPA, MPH, PA-C

Charity Maniates, MSPA, MPH, PA-C practices geriatric medicine in Maine. At 3:00 AM the pager furiously buzzes on my bedside table, jolting me out of sleep. I grapple with my iPhone and call the nursing facility to address the emergency. The nurse brightly reports that a patient had a fall without injury — her third […]

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