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| Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants Sharing Inspiration |
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by Bob Blumm, MA, PA-C, DFAAPA - June 10, 2011
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Join me in the backyard scene of Act 3 of William Gibson’s play, “The Miracle Worker.” Helen Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, tries once again to teach the concept of words. When water from the pump splashes Helen, Anne quickly signs the word “w-a-t-e-r” into Helen’s palm. Deep inside Helen, a light comes on and slowly spreads to her face. She drops to the ground and begins to pat it swiftly and then holds out her palm. Anne signs “g-r-o-u-n-d.” Frantically, Helen whirls to the pump and thrusts out her palm. The teacher signs “p-u-m-p.” Helen runs from object to object with indescribable excitement as she begins to learn a new language.
Throughout my career I’ve watched other scenes, scenes in real time and in real life, and have observed the same enthusiasm on the faces of clinicians as they were part of an action that both taught them and inspired them to be lifesavers and caregivers of the highest quality. I have been awed by the power that clinicians have on clinicians, that clinicians have on patients and in turn by the power that patients have on the growth process of NPs and PAs. I’m convinced that encouraging words, positive actions and edifying attitudes that are directed toward each other, help us to succeed.
Positive feedback costs us nothing and yet it is a wonderful motivator even in the field of business. Twenty years ago, a book entitled The One Minute Manager hit the market and rapidly climbed to the top of the bestseller list. Simply paraphrased, its one minute message is, “catch people in the act of doing the right thing and tell them.” To be effective, praise must be immediate, specific and genuine. I follow this as my guideline in the suture workshops that I present as I am working with individuals who are part of a larger group, and this is perhaps one of the reasons why I am usually asked to return. The participants feel encouraged, affirmed, competent and confident, all because of a small dose of inspiration.
Dr. William Mayo, co-founder of the famous Mayo clinic, used praise to encourage his young doctors, a trait and special gift that I wish was more evident in physicians today as they work alongside of advanced practice clinicians. A physician said, “You would dread giving a paper at a staff meeting, yet afterward, he would see you in the hall or on the elevator and would shake your hand and with a quiet ‘good work,’ leave you feeling like you were totally indispensable. Sometimes a day or two later, he would drop you a note saying, ‘I appreciated your paper; I learned more from that paper of yours then I ever knew before.’ It was a good job.” Years ago I knew a surgeon who had a note like that framed and placed on the wall alongside his most valuable degrees.
PAs and NPs are colleagues, and we share many of the same roles in institutions all over our country. We balked at first, thinking that we were superior to each other but thankfully, as the decades have passed so has our rancor, and we have become close friends and share a sense of collegiality. We prove by our actions in working with our patients that we are indeed team members and we have learned, in many cases, to teach each other through the avenue of inspiration. We prove our collegiality when we inspire our patients to fulfill their potential and become involved in their treatments; when we inspire a stroke victim to take his or her first steps; when we inspire a geriatric patient to button their own shirt or pour their own tea. It’s our inspiration that encourages the asthmatic to become involved in their treatment, the teenager to walk properly on her crutches, the anorexic to sit down and eat at Thanksgiving dinner, the deaf child to sign, and the burn victim to debride his wound. As advanced practice clinicians we are successful as we utilize encouragement and inspiration.
We are now evolving to a place where it is unusual not to see a PA at an NP meeting or an NP at a PA meeting. We share our knowledge and teach each other new skills and to develop a better understanding of the drugs that we prescribe. We join each other at the mealtime gatherings and sit down together at the lounge at the end of the night to laugh and become friends. This all falls under the heading of “Inspiration,” and this is the ingredient that will make us a powerful force to contend with as we compete as equals alongside of physicians at the health care tables where legislation is being formulated. I’m glad that we are partners together practicing our medical and nursing skills for the betterment of our patients.
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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