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| The Three R’s- Roots, Reading and Returning |
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by Bob Blumm, MA, PA-C, DFAAPA - January 31, 2011
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Roots
For the past three months, I have been considering writing a small article on this issue. After reading a journal this morning, I suddenly went from the contemplation mode to that of compulsion. Every one of us has some type of roots that assisted us into growing into the profession or clinician that we are today. I was an Army medic and then became a combat medic in Vietnam, which prepared me for a future in both trauma care and surgery. Like many in my profession, it was the military that was responsible for giving us our incentive, our education, our opportunity to thrive in the culture of field medicine and we also have the commonality of being initially taught by nurses.
My son now has his BSN but he climbed up to his position because he started as a medical technician in an orthopedic practice, excelled in his craft, went on to become a nursing assistant in a large hospital, which broadened his experience and gave him an understanding of the difficulties and sometime unpleasantness of that type of employment, and then continued into a four year nursing program to practice in psychiatric nursing.
When I think of NPs and PAs I am sure that we all have our experiences because we had roots as EMTs, military NCOs and lab techs, respiratory techs, physical therapy assistants and many more. What do we owe our past professions and how can we help them to move further into the fields of medicine and nursing?
Many will be content in maintaining their current position because they do so with integrity, pride and professionalism. To these heroes of our roots we and our patients are greatly indebted. Some of these have the dream to move forward but lack the encouragement, which is where we can be excellent role models and catapultists. Martin Luther King Jr. was well known for coining the phrase “I have a dream.” We need to help people to dream dreams and to make them into realities.
Reading
I am a reader of all the professional literature that I can receive and among them are my PA, NP and Physician journals. The two most relevant journals that I read are out of my profession and are Nursing 2001 and Nursing Made Incredibly Easy. This month, two of the three major CME articles in Nursing 2011 were written by NPs. They stimulated this compulsion to write the article that I am engaged in now. The articles were concise and appropriate and furthered my understanding and education. Years ago, I learned to go where the food was, and this reading has helped to fill my intellectual curiosity. I still read the military literature and headache journals, Emergency Medicine, as well as respiratory journals as I think our best PAs were once in this profession. Expand your reading and never eschew a journal because you think you may be above them in the medical food chain.
Returning
How do we return? Every PA and NP should join their state, national or specialty group as their dues carry on the works of advancing our professions in this health care environment. NPs would not have had as many victories this year if they did not have the dues and the commitments, passion and fervor of their members.
“Success is not driven by luck but by opportunity and commitment.” -Bob Blumm
Become involved in making a change in your profession whether it is by a simple action such as changing your name or the complex actions of expanding your authority and your roles. Contribute to the medical and nursing literature, and don’t forget those groups that were foundational to your existence. Speak at conferences or write articles for those groups that gave you roots and those with whom you share membership today. Blog on the many blogs that exist in your profession so that we all know how our colleagues feel and what changes we need to contemplate. Join your on line communities, they are free. Clinician1 is for NPs and PAs, Advance for NPs and PAs cover both specialties, Clinical Advisor, PR and PA listservs, ACC Circle, Bills’ NP and PA World, AdvancedPracticeJobs.com, APCToday, physician assistant.com, Reach MD to hear our speakers in the PA and NP universe. This is like water for our roots and will create leaves, limbs and fruit. Make a commitment to the three R’s today.
Bob
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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