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I strongly object to the current practice of using
Physician Assistents as primary providers, often without direct physician supervision.  Many are using the title “Doctor.”  I have personally witnessed this in the course of my own treatment for arthritis.  As is known, PAs have a total of 24-27 months of training, compared to our 3-7 or more YEARS of post-graduate training.  And now the Nurse Practice Act has been revised to allow NPs to hang out their own shingles, without direct physician supervision!  Really, I am embarrassed by these elevations of mid-level practitioners to the status of fully trained doctors, to the point where I am considering leaving medical practice.  Even on a financial level, the median compensation of a new PA is (according to advertisements) $90,000, more than I made as a mature pediatrician!

By Laura P. Schulman, M.D. on Feb 04, 2015 at 3:30pm