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| Interpreting Our Words Concerning Being Advanced Practice Clinicians |
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by Bob Blumm, MA, PA-C, DFAAPA - August 1, 2011
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When you are a clinician, a speaker, a writer or politician you are faced with the problem of becoming a target of another individual who has different roots, different religions and traditions, different belief systems in general. My mother in law called it “Joseph’s coat of many colors,” while a fellow called Saul of Tarsus mentioned that he was “all things to all men.” Sounds like Saul would have been an aspiring candidate for public office as that comment would make him a magician, an exaggerator, narcissistic or just a liar. We are all different and our manner of speech reflects something of who we are. I like to write articles that cause people to gain insights but occasionally, because of my style or grammar or the absence of editing from a specialist, I am challenged or subject to slight scolding concerning the English language or perhaps the individual will stop reading altogether on the assumption that if one cannot put a sentence together intelligently then they are probably an ignoramus and not worth reading.
Ten years ago I wrote an editorial and while speaking of being a PA I described it as a "calling." Wow, that word calling can create a “tremor in the Force.” In a scholarly manner, this individual mentioned that he did not mean any disrespect but he had never heard a child say,” Mommy I dreamed that I would be a physician assistant some day.” As I relate his comment to both PAs and NPs, the follow-up was that he could not understand why anyone would do the same work as a physician for a fraction of the pay, a percentage of the respect and all the other fringe deficits that go along with the job. He did have a dream though, as he mentioned that if he were given the chance to convert his PA credential to an MD on just a say-so, he couldn’t think of any reason to decline. I agree to a point as if tomorrow I became Bob Blumm, MD, I would be one of the best advocates for the advanced practice clinician. He concluded his remarks with “I just don’t get it and never did. That’s why I haven’t practiced as a PA since 1982.”
As an author I am expected to reply to comments, so I apologized that I had upset him by using the word “calling.” I then added that although you haven’t practiced for 20 years, I see that you still have an eye for detail. I mentioned that it’s a shame that we lost him as a colleague because somewhere deep beneath the surface is the vestige of a PA. My reply was based upon his signature that still was associated with the PA credential. I have discovered that PAs and NPs choose to take this course of study for special reasons and that they have no desire to become physicians. We certainly are intelligent enough to become physicians but our decisions were made upon things such as lifestyle, limited obligation to a practice setting, less time in academic preparation, less malpractice insurance and more time to make commitments to be functional parents or mates. Some have even professed that they wanted to enter the work force sooner to begin to care for the sick and oppressed.
Another of the commonalities between PAs and NPs is that it is a first choice occupation for some but for others they have served as other types of medical or nursing professionals and this was yet another step up the ladder and may have been a mid-life choice. What we share in common is first that we have an inner commitment or calling or desire to help humanity by healing wounds of sickness, injury and disease. We have a commitment to continued learning and development of clinical skills and a deep belief that what we do and our new skills will make us better clinicians and even more of an influence on the health crisis that we face as a nation and over the earth. I think that many of my colleagues share my emotions and given a choice would make the same decision. Be proud of who and what you are, as you have studied and sacrificed so that you could become bread for those who are hungry and need to be touched by a health care provider who cares.
Robert M. Blumm has received national recognition as a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). He is the past president of the Association of Plastic Surgery Physician Assistants, and was past-president of the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants, past president of the American College of Clinicians and NYSSPA, as well as Chairman of the Surgical Congress of the AAPA. In addition, Bob received the John Kirklin MD Award for Professional Excellence from the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants. Along with his associate, Dr. Acker, Bob was the first recipient of the AAPA PAragon Physician-PA Partnership Award. He has been a contributing author of three textbooks, written 150 plus articles and is a sought out conference speaker throughout the United States.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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