The PANCE and PANRE: Examination Content Blueprint checklist 2017 The PANCE and PANRE Pulmonology Content Blueprint represents 12% of your exam and includes 32 diseases/disorders [genesis_column size=”one-half” position=”first”] Infectious Disorders Acute bronchitis Acute bronchiolitis Acute epiglottitis Croup Influenza Pertussis Pneumonias Bacterial Viral Fungal HIV-related Respiratory syncytial virus infection Tuberculosis Neoplastic Disease Carcinoid tumors Lung cancer Pulmonary nodules […]
Cardiovascular System: PANCE and PANRE Examination Content Blueprint
The PANCE and PANRE: Examination Content Blueprint checklist 2017 The PANCE and PANRE Cardiology Content Blueprint represents 16% of your exam and includes 51 diseases/disorders [genesis_column size=”one-half” position=”first”] Cardiomyopathy Dilated Hypertrophic Restrictive Conduction Disorders Atrial fibrillation/flutter Atrioventricular block Bundle branch block Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia Premature beats Sick sinus syndrome Ventricular tachycardia Ventricular fibrillation Torsades de pointes […]
Free PANRE and PANCE Practice Tests and Exam Questions
I am happy to announce that the free PANCE and PANRE practice exams are finally up and running! There were a few technical hurdles to overcome, but I have worked out most of the kinks with the exam professor software. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to send me corrections on […]
31 Online Medical Calculators for Physician Assistants
A comprehensive list of medical calculators for the busy Physician Assistant (Just in case you forgot your iPhone) Absolute Neutrophil Count Calculator:Â A calculator for determining absolute neutrophil count (ANC). Absolute Reticulocyte Count Calculator:A calculator for determining absolute reticulocyte count (ARC). Anion Gap Calculator: Â A calculator for determining anion gap. Asthma Management Calculator: 12 Years of […]
Why Do You Want to be a Physician Assistant?
Have you spent hours thinking about your answers to why you want to be a PA? Do you have the perfect pre-formulated answer just waiting to deliver;  hook, line, and sinker? Or, maybe you are approaching this question as I did: You have a pretty good idea of what you want to say and figure, “the […]
How Clay Aiken and Reality TV Helped Me Ace My PA School Interview
 am embarrassed to admit: I am a big fan of reality TV. I don’t watch much TV but when it comes time for a new season of Survivor, So You Think You Can Dance, or dare I say The Bachelor (I can’t believe I just admitted that) I can’t stop myself. I justify this to […]
How to Write the Perfect Physician Assistant School Application Essay
Want to write a PA school essay that gets you an interview? Learn from my mistakes and avoid the common pitfalls that many applicants make. Read my real essays (the one that got me accepted and the one that didn’t) and discover how to create your perfect PA school personal statement.
A Conversation Every Physician Assistant Has Had
If you are a practicing Physician Assistant this will surely make you laugh! Â How many times have you had this conversation? The Conversation Highlights: What are you doing these days? I have a great girlfriend, Kim and she’s a nurse I met her here at the hospital where I sometimes work as a physician assistant […]
Why my Wife is Happy I am a Physician Assistant and not an MD
“In my life, family will always be my greatest priority. I love my patients like I love life itself, but I love my family even more than life itself.” – Stephen Pasquini PA-C. Years ago, I dreamt of being an MD. Since I was a small child, in fact, to me, this would be the pinnacle […]
How to Go to PA School for Free: The NHSC and Me
I am a National Health Service Corps Scholar and a Physician Assistant (PA) There are two types of us: I was one of the lucky ones who had the privilege of being part of the scholarship program. I received a monthly stipend while in PA school to help pay for books, medical supplies, housing, food, […]
Google Glass: Welcome to the World of Augmented Health Care
I love technology. Â And yes, I love Google. When the two combine the only thing that can make me happier is the thought of how these types of technologies will evolve to bring patient care into the 21’st century. I remember when I started PA school in 2002 it was suggested that we purchase a […]
Save a Patient Save the World: The Crisis Text Line
“He won’t stop raping me, he told me not to tell anyone, he is my dad, are you there?” -Anonymous Teenager hen Nancy Lublin started texting teenagers to help with her social advocacy organization, what she found was shocking — they started texting back about their own problems, from bullying to depression to abuse. So […]
The Best Medical iPhone and iPad Apps for Physicians, PAs, and Medical Students
Medical App Directory for iPhone on iTunes Anesthesiology Anesthesiology i-pocketcards – $3.99 – Designed for both the iPhone and the iPad, this app is a clinical reference guide with a compilation of scores, classification, algorithm and dosage information necessary for the Anesthetics environment. It has received a 4-star rating and several high reviews. Gas Guide: […]
The PANCE and PANRE Preparation Checklist
Let’s break down your PANCE and PANRE preparation in as few steps as possible 1. Download the ‘Examination Content Blueprint’ (ECB) from the NCCPA The ECB lists the diseases that you should focus on and describes which information you should study for each disease. Follow the link below: Break down the ECB into parts that […]
A Better Way to “Cram” for your Next PA School Exam
Study blueprint topics and quizzes integrated with real patient video cases I have partnered with ReelDxâ„¢ to give you exclusive access to over 700+ video cases with ultrasound, imaging, and lab data plus 1,000+ topics captured by providers in the ER, exam room, ambulance, and the developing world. These cases are integrated directly into the NCCPAâ„¢ […]
Why I love being a PA: My letter to a prospective MD
Dear Pre-Med, This is why I love being a physician assistant: I was pre-med for three years and completed my prerequisites as an undergraduate at the University of Washington in Seattle. I graduated with a bachelor’s of science degree in Zoology. While working at the campus health center as a phlebotomist, I met a physician […]
10 Reasons Why You Should Become a Physician Assistant
Why should you become a physician assistant? Here are ten good reasons why you should choose to be a PA: 1. You get to help people every day and get paid to do it: Honestly, I could stop here. Every day I wake up to go to work I look forward to the work I […]
Physician Assistant New Graduate Sample Resume and Curriculum Vitae
Here is the resume that I used upon graduating from PA School. I am sharing this in hopes of helping others who are trying to decide what to include as part of a resume or curriculum vitae as a new graduate. I have included downloadable Microsoft Word files below. You can download this sample resume for a […]
Are Physician Assistants Capable of Deep Clinical Analysis?
Last week I wrote a letter to Wellness FX. They are an intriguing and progressive California based health care start-up offering laboratory diagnostics and online consultations. I wrote them asking if they were considering allied health professionals as part of their healthcare team. This is the letter I received back: Hi Stephen, Thank you for your interest in WellnessFX. At this time, […]
PANRE and PANCE Review: EKG
From the official Physician Assistant Certification and Recertification Exam Review Course. Electrocardiogram/EKG review by the amazing Carol Sadley, Med PA-C. NEW! ECG “Pearls & Pitfalls” Lecture Series Physician Assistant Certification and Recertification Exam Review | PANRE | PANCE by The Physician Assistant Life Suggested Review Books
Healthcare and the Hunger Games – Tributes and Patients
The reality of inequality is actually far worse than depicted in the movies and books. Courtesy of Lionsgate Tributes and Patients In Suzanne Collins wonderful series we are presented with a grim depiction of a future world. A world in which people are selected randomly to become participants in a game: A Hunger Game One in […]
The Globalization of Physician Assistants
As of 2020, the adoption of PAs has spread globally across a variety of health systems and at least fifteen countries have been in various stages of expansion of PA-like medical workers (nonphysician clinicians) that function under the supervision of a doctor. Several titles are in use for this important healthcare cadre including physician assistants, […]
Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged
It is extremely easy to judge our patients. Maybe they don’t take their medicines as directed. Maybe they make poor dietary or lifestyle choices. Maybe they don’t parent like we parent, or they make poor decisions that lead to even worse outcomes. As medical providers… actually let me rephrase this, as humans, we need to […]
Physician Assistant vs. Physician Associate: A Rose is a Rose?
Juliet: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” OK, a show of hands. Who would prefer we change the name of our profession? Should it be physician assistant or physician associate? Or something else entirely? The Case for Physician Assistant Patients are already confused by what we do. […]
The Future of Physician Assistant Education: Stop Stealing Dreams
Have you heard of Seth Godin’s free education manifesto Stop Stealing Dreams? In this manifesto, he discusses the history of education in America. How it was tailored to create “cogs in an industrial machine” rather than the much-needed linchpin’s necessary to drive future innovations. “School has become an industrialized system, working on a huge scale, […]
To be a Great Physician Assistant Focus on Patients not Numbers
ast night, was a late night in the clinic. It was also a very long day. If you looked at my “numbers” you may wonder why. But nothing bothers me more than converting patients into numbers. It goes against everything I signed up for when I chose to become a physician assistant. In order to do […]
Physician Assistant vs. Nurse Practitioner vs. Medical Doctor
Medical Profession Comparison Chart: Medical Assistant vs. Nurse vs. Nurse Practitioner vs. Physician Assistant vs. Family Practice Physician (updated ) *Programs vary, and the following represents averages for each vocation. Category Medical Assistant (MA) Nurse (RN, BSN) Nurse Practitioner (NP) Physician Assistant (PA) Physician (MD) Prerequisite Education None None Bachelor’s Degree in nursing and clinical […]
What it Means to be a Physician Assistant: My Journey to PA-C
For lots of people, medicine is a calling. Is it your calling? In college, all I could think about was providing healthcare to those in need. I am not sure where this desire came from, but I aspired to it from an early age. I remember the excitement I would have when I had the […]
Why Religion and Health Care Shouldn’t Mix–A Contraceptive Conundrum
A good portion of what I do as a family practice Physician Assistant involves counseling women and men about birth control. I have also gone to public schools and counseled junior high school students about puberty and sex. One thing is for certain… the answer to solving America’s health care problems is definitely not placing […]
The PA and Supervising Physician Relationship: 5 Must Haves!
Over my 15 years + as a PAÂ I have had been lucky to work with some incredible physicians. Physicians who get what I do, treat me like a colleague and understand my utility (both to my patients and to the practice). The best working relationships are the same as those that make a great […]
