What would make the general public (which includes insurance executives, politicians, administrators and our patients) think our “assistant” would be any easier or harder educationally than these ads they see every day? These were on 1.5 pages in the NY Post right before the Sports Section. Seriously why would our definition be any different than theirs?
Dave has been a PA, and later NP, leader for thirty years. He strongly believes that NPs and PAs must work together to insure a better future for both professions. Most recently Dave has been busy launching another dream; Clinician 1, the first internet community for PAs and NPs. In October 2008, Dave was honored by the New Jersey State society of PAs with its “Lifetime Achievement Award”.
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.
I see a Nurse Practitioner and get better, more integrated care than I had from my internist for years. As a lay person, however, I find "Associate" as confusing as the other names you are discussing. It has the same problem in that it sounds like "not quite" something.
Primary Care Managers? That's my stab at it.
mule (UT)
on 25 May 2010 at 7:13 pm
I choose not to be mid-level. I do not do anything at a level in the middle. Don't bother with -C in my signature like PA-Cs do, can you legally practice if you are not certified???. I am not an assistant, not a nurse. I am a NP. I don't bother with ACNP or FNP or GNP, just NP. No RN, BS, MSN . I haven't worked a minute as an RN, bridged with a Bachelor of Science in biology into a MSN.
Linda Cihacek (West Point, Nebraska)
on 27 Apr 2010 at 12:09 pm
I'm still in favor of the title: Physician Associate.
taylor (michigan)
on 16 Apr 2010 at 8:58 pm
I've been in practice for almost 20 years...yeah, at first it bothered me that I was the \"doctor\'s assistant\" with questions of when was I going to get my \"MD\"..yes, there has been a lot bantering back and forth for years between associate or assistant..pfft, my patients still call me \"doctor\" and when I remind them I\'m not, they tell me..\"you\'re more of a DOCTOR to me than any REAL doctors I\'ve had\". Heh, I remember when I was in school, my clinical director had \"DOKOID\" for his license plate, now that was priceless!! Me, I prefer to give my patients the best medical care that I am able to with no ego involvement.
Mary Murphy (Denver)
on 16 Apr 2010 at 11:24 am
I would love to see the change to Associate. It would have minimal impact and is much more reflective of how we operate.
Jean (Ky)
on 15 Apr 2010 at 8:04 pm
Name changes for PA's and ARNPs is not going to change the fact that the AMA looks at us like we are good enough and physicians we work for just try to make all the money they can off of us.
Peter (California)
on 15 Apr 2010 at 7:54 pm
I graduated from a 'primary care associate' program; I belong to an 'advanced practice clinicians' group of NPs & PAs; Government & insurers call us 'NPPs' - non-physician providers.
"Assistant" doesn't bother me or my patients.
Most important in the 'name discussion' (around for decades) is public recognition of the acronym, "PA".
After >30 years I no longer have to explain what a PA is, or does.
This is the reason for resistance to changing the name.
William Matthews (New York City)
on 15 Apr 2010 at 12:04 pm
I have heard that in the early days of our profession it was proposed that we be called Physician Associates and that the MDs objected. I am not sure if this is true, but I would very much welcome a change to "Associate"; it better reflects what we do and would command more respect.
LW ((WI))
on 15 Apr 2010 at 10:36 am
It is no more demeaning than being called a "midlevel". Do patients really care what our title is?
Kathy, FNP (Michigan)
on 14 Apr 2010 at 8:32 pm
How about Advanced Practice Providers for both PAs and NPs. You PAs think your title is demeaning or a misnomer...what about the alphabet soup after the NPs. No one knows what we are....
marty bacsik (Bucks County, PA)
on 14 Apr 2010 at 5:35 pm
I totally agree. We will never be respected with the name "Assistant." Why can't the national AAPA take this up as majority request? What's stopping us from changing to Associate?
Bruce A Bennett PA-C (Massachusetts)
on 14 Apr 2010 at 3:08 pm
I don't think we have bigger fish to fry than this. We have issues that are intrinsically of greater importance, but until we deal effectively with the 'name' problem, we will continue to be marginalized and slighted and forgotten by healthcare policy decision-makers, no matter what the issue. Haven't 43 years of public misperception and marginalization been enough? Our clinical performance, no matter how excellent, has not been enough to overcome our name. The acronym 'PA' should stand for 'physician associate,' not 'physician assistant," or, even worse, 'physician's assistant.' Let's support the change by the HOD.
Clay Shugart (North Carolina)
on 14 Apr 2010 at 8:19 am
Occasionally I still see it written Physician's Assistant which makes me cringe.
lv (wilmington, NC)
on 14 Apr 2010 at 5:34 am
Chuck, It's moot point, not mute.
Chuck Nagel (Texas)
on 13 Apr 2010 at 7:07 pm
I can remember when we were physician's assistants and the name was changed to our current physician assistant. If the HOD wants it changed with lots of input from the profession then it can be done. I agree we others and don't really care for the Assistant or Associate but I'd take the Associate any day. May be a mute point in the future when we're all Doctors of Physician Assistant Medicine. Pharmacists went from RPh to PharmD without a lot of trouble. If we want it, it will be changed.
Narine Shakaramov, ARNP (Seattle)
on 13 Apr 2010 at 5:33 pm
I think the "mid-level practitioner" does not sound any better. How do you define the llevels? How many are there? Who are we in middle of?
ks (Milwaukee, WI)
on 13 Apr 2010 at 4:51 pm
Why not mid-level practitioner? Associate sounds even worse!
Jade Smith (Iowa)
on 13 Apr 2010 at 3:17 pm
@ Max's comment...perhaps it's like healthcare reform and it will take 60+ years to get it accomplished. Just b/c it hasn't been done yet doesn't mean it isn't worth pursuing or talking through.
Dave, I think you make excellent comments. I am all for a name change, however, I think there might be several other bigger fish to fry, or at least fry first.
Max Carter (Las Vegas)
on 13 Apr 2010 at 12:47 pm
I've been a PA now for 18 yrs.. The issue of Assistant vs. Associate has been going on longer than I've been in medicine. While I would love to see the change, I'm getting weary just hearing about it. What does it take to change it and why hasn't someone found a way to accomplish it before now. Apparently no one knows how or has the energy to bring together what it takes. Is that the reason you became an NP?
