Welcome, Jason!
"You are working as a PA, and you need to consult with your supervising physician on a patient. You go to the exam room he's in, knock softly, and when you don't hear an answer, you crack the door to see if he's really in there. You find him making love to a patient. You shut the door quietly, apparently escaping detection. What do you do?"
Recently there was a guest post by Amitha Knight on How To Write A Hospital Scene that described the different levels of medical training from med students to interns, residents, and attending physicians. There are other levels of health care providers that can be in a hospital or clinic setting, with potential for deeper conflict and development in a story.
A relatively new concept is the "mid-level provider," a clinician that is under a doctor but can still see and treat patients. There are three main types of mid-levels: nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, and physician assistant. They function in similar ways and are often indistinguishable to a patient, but there are training, legal, and practice differences.
A nurse practitioner has to be a graduate from an RN (registered nurse) program first, with a bachelor's level degree. Most of the time they will have practiced as a nurse before going back to school. They are trained in the nursing model, with an emphasis on patient care and learning diagnosis and treatment algorithms to treat patients. They often can practice independently - an NP could hang out a shingle and see their own patients, but they are usually working with other physicians. This may vary by state. NP's are often trained in a specific field, such as pediatrics, ob/gyn, or internal medicine.
A nurse midwife is similar in that they are RN's first, but then do advanced training that focuses on ob/gyn. They are an option for uncomplicated deliveries, but have to be able to have back-up in case of complications.
A physician assistant is trained in the medical model like a regular physician, but with a shortened time frame. The average program is two years, and it is mostly a master's level degree anymore. A PA is required to work under the supervision of a physician, but it does not mean that the doc has to see every patient the PA does. It means that the doc has to review a certain amount of the PA's charts and be available for consult. The PA could be hundreds of miles away from their supervising physician in a rural area, if the doc is available by phone. PA's are trained in primary care, not usually specializing at first. They can be trained by their supervising physician for specialties such as orthopedics, cardiology, or urology.
Oh, and my pet peeve? It is physician assistant. No "apostrophe 's'". We're not someone's possession.
Mid-level providers have received a lot of acceptance in the medical field by both patients and professionals alike, but there are still barriers. I get asked when I'm going to finish medical school by patients. Cardiologists in hospitals fight against giving privileges to an NP, because they don't want to be asked to consult by a "lowly" mid-level. PA's and NP's have a friendly rivalry, but there can be sniping between the two groups. Nurses and mid-levels can be partners together against a tyrannical MD, but may have turf battles or issues on their own.
Many patients now prefer to see mid-levels, feeling the PA or NP listens to their concerns better. Doctors are so busy that they may rush through patient visits more (of course this is stereotypical - there are very caring physicians and mid-levels that have the bedside manner of moldy bread). Mid-levels are working more and more in hospitals to help alleviate shortages of physicians, so it is realistic to have one involved in a medical scene.
As my opening hook suggested, there can be a lot of drama created by utilizing a PA, NP, or nurse midwife in a story. What if a doctor orders the wrong medicine for a patient, but the NP sees it in the chart? What if a PA makes a mistake and has to tell their supervising physician?
A good novel has many layers of depth and sub-plots going on that help drive the plot or challenge the characters. I would encourage a writer to use mid-levels in their books to give them a better prognosis.
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Jason works as a physician assistant in southeast Idaho, while trying to keep up with three crazy boys and a little princess. He is working on a medical suspense with international flair. Follow him on Twitter @JasonCJoyner or his blog at http://spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/
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