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 […]
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 PA 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 […]
The Best Treatment For Your Patients: Your Time and Attention
Sometimes what your patient really needs is your time and attention. This, of course, is not just true in your medical practice but applies to your life in general. We get so caught up with things that can be measured. We look to our prescriptions pads for the answer. But I will tell you this: […]
My PA School Interview: The Journey of a Lifetime
It seems like just yesterday. Like Gene Kelly in the 1952 classic “Singing in the Rain,” there I stood, rain-drenched, under an iconic cast-iron streetlight, holding a soggy white letter in my hand. The letter that said: “You have been accepted for a PA School Interview.” I was living in Seattle at the time, two […]
How to Study for (and Pass) the PANRE and PANRE-LA
Which exam you’re taking, what’s really on the 333-topic blueprint, the open-book rules for the PANRE-LA, and a five-step study plan from a PA who passed with a 1384.
How to (Really) Get Into the PA School of Your Choice!
verybody’s journey to becoming a PA is a bit different. We all have different lives, different upbringings, different barriers to overcome to reach our goals. We have different paths that have led us to want to become a physician assistant. No single formula will assure you a golden ticket to PA school (I am sorry to […]
Time Explored: Looking Back at 6 Years as a Physician Assistant
It has been six years since I began working as a Physician Assistant. I still can’t believe it. When the NCCPA sent me my first PANRE reminder letter, I figured they must have miscalculated. But it’s true; I have been working six years in the field, and I have some new gray hairs to show for […]
