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Tue Aug 24 18:15:39 BST 2004

Individual PA programs have individual requirements
for their students, just like medical schools, just
like nursing schools.  Despite your insistence, I find
it hard to believe that ALL NP programs require 5
years of critical care experience, but it may be so. 
As I can only speak for my profession, physician
assistants strive for high standards in order to
achieve quality graduates.   

In order to graduate practice-eligible PAs, ALL PA
programs must be accredited* and be periodically site
visited to maintain the same.  These accreditation
standards are were produced with the input and
approval from the American Academy of Family
Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American
College of Physicians, American College of Surgeons,
as well as the American Medical Association.

Once graduated from an accredited program, PAs must
pass the PANCE**, which is our national certification
exam.  The content of the PANCE is also a joint
composite of questions and material contributed from
the above professional institutions.  Many PAs choose
to go on to do a post-graduate residency in a
subspecialty area such as surgery or pediatrics.    

We are recognized for licensure in all 50 states, and
the above pathway is the ONLY way to achieve that
licensure.

The standard of care that physician assistants provide
is something that I take VERY seriously.

Ben Reynolds, PA-C
Pittsburgh, PA     

* http://www.arc-pa.org/General/standards.html
** http://www.nccpa.net/Resources_faqs.asp#PANCE
--- Mike MacKinnon <mmackinnon at cox.net> wrote:

> Ah see now that is totally different here. Most of
> the PA's I have met had
> no experience prior to their 24 month PA program. It
> simply dosent sound
> like what you did at all. It seems for some reason,
> the PA program here has
> no expectation of experience and certainly no
> prerequisite of it. Whereas
> the NP program requires the BSN and then the 3-5
> years of critical care
> experience.  
>  
> Mike MacKinnon
> mmackinnon at cox.net
> -------Original Message-------
>  
> From: Trauma & Critical Care mailing list
> Date: 08/24/04 08:26:04
> To: Trauma & Critical Care mailing list
> Subject: RE: New Topic: Thoughts on PA's
>  
> I can only speak for my profession when I say that
> statement isn't true.
>  
> PAs go through a rigorous 2-3 years of graduate
> training based on the medical school model.  At many
> PA programs the classes are jointly held with
> medical
> students including cadaveric dissection.  We rotate
> through all the major 8 week clinical rotations just
> as medical students including medicine, pediatrics,
> surgery, OB/GYN as well as cardiology, rehab
> medicine,
> and well as many others.  We also take elective
> rotations, including trauma and critical care. 
> During
> my clinical training, I was held to same standards
> the
> medical students (taking call, presenting on rounds,
> patient responsibilities, evaluations, pimping and
> so
> forth).
>  
> As far as experience is concerned, it's a matter of
> who you speak with.  I had 10 years experience as a
> Navy corpsman and as a surgical technologist prior
> to
> becoming a PA.  Many of my classmates were similar
> in
> the breadth and depth of their experience including
> nurses, paramedics and military medics.
>  
> For more information:
> http://www.aapa.org/geninfo1.html
>  
> Ben Reynolds, PA-C
> Pittsburgh, PA
>  
> --- Mike MacKinnon <mmackinnon at cox.net> wrote:
>  
> > I often hear a lot about PA's on this list but do
> > any of you work with nurse
> > practitioners. Their training and experience
> should
> > be far superior as
> > should be their knowledge base than a typical PA.
> > What are your thoughts on
> > them?
> >
> > Mike MacKinnon
> > mmackinnon at cox.net
> > -------Original Message-------
> >
> > From: Trauma & Critical Care mailing list
> > Date: 08/24/04 05:49:59
> > To: 'Trauma & Critical Care mailing list'
> > Subject: RE: New Topic: Thoughts on PA's
> >
> > A well trained PA can do many things except the
> > initial trauma evaluation
> > and operative surgeon.  They are fully capable of
> > being trained to do
> > central lines, arterial lines, chest tubes,
> > intubation, wound dressing
> > changes and under supervision, skin grafts.  PAs
> can
> > be used for so much
> > more than paper jockeys.
> > David
> > Eastern Maine Medical Center
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Brian Granvall
> [SMTP:bgranvall at comcast.net]
> > > Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 2:28 AM
> > > To: Trauma & Critical Care mailing list
> > > Subject: New Topic: Thoughts on PA's
> > >
> > > I am curious to hear the groups thoughts on the
> > utilization of Physician
> > > Assistants in trauma programs in terms of their
> > scope of practice,
> > > interaction with residents, areas of
> > responsibility (OR, ICU, wards,
> > > clinic,
> > > etc).....in this era of reduced resident work
> > hours how should PA's fit in
> > > the grand scheme of trauma things?  Thanks
> > >
> > > Brian Granvall, PA-C
> > > Portland, OR
> > >
> > >
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