Partners in Practice

The CDC has recommendations when it comes to the treatment, testing and counseling of patients who may have sexually transmitted infections or at high risk of contracting an STI. There are a number of ways to test for diseases like gonnorhea, chlamidiya, and syphillis and that can be confusing for NPs and their patients. Nurse Practitioner Terri Warren with the Westover Clinic in Portland, Oregon explains to host Mimi Secor some of the most important changes recommended by the CDC to help reduce the number of sexually transmitted infections in the country especially among teens.

Physician assistant Mary Fargen, 2011 AAPA Humanitarian PA of the Year, fell in love with the people of Haiti when she traveled there on her first medical mission in 2004. Since then, she has been to the island more than a dozen times, volunteering her time working with medical providers to help improve medical care. Following the devestating earthquake in January 2010, she ramped up her efforts to help Haitian providers, working with the Hatian and Caribbean American Organization of Texas, based in Kileen, Texas. Ms. Fargen tells host Lisa Dandrea Lenell the personal story of her work in Haiti.

Almost 4 million people in the US have high triglycerides. What can you do to help improve your patients' health? Nguyen Park, clinical assistant professor in the physician assistant studies program, at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the benefits of fish oil for treating hypertriglyceridemia. They also look at the risk factors, causes and other treatment options for this very common disease.

Legislation was introduced last year to legally authorize physician assistants to practice in Puerto Rico, the only US territory where they're not. This week's guest, PA Luis Ramos, began the push to bring PAs and other mid-level providers to Puerto Rico. He joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the obstacles and barriers to including mid-level practitioners in the island's medical community. They also talk about the first class of PAs in Puerto Rico training through Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in partnership with Universidad Metropolitana.

As the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passes its first anniversary, Patrick Killeen, president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss some main legislative changes, geared toward improving patient care and outcomes, that the AAPA hopes to see implemented by the 112th United States Congress. The topics include: physician assistants' ability to continue treating patients through end-of-life hospice care; clearance to prescribe medication for opioid addiction; and eligibility for Medicaid electronic health record initiative payments.

After years working in clinical practice in rural Arizona, NP Kirsten Wister had a vision for her own practice that would allow her to offer integrative medicine and treat poor and needy patients. Like some other rural states in the US, the state of Arizona allows NPs to run a practice without a physician's oversight, as well as admit patients to some acute and sub-acute facillities, and prescribe medication. She and host Mimi Secor talk about how she opened her practice in Sierra Vista, 75 miles south of Tucson, in March 2011, and the patients who were invested in having this practice in the community to the extent that they staffed it voluntarily, and the value she's found in collaborating with physicians despite the fact Arizona law does not require it.

Thousands of nurse practitioners across the country run their own practices. But for those who have never been self-employed, the challenges of starting their own business can seem daunting. Nurse practitioner Barbara Phillips, business coach, consultant and CEO of NP Choice, LLC, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss how to start your own business in seven steps, from the concept stage to the day you open your doors to patients.

Family nurse practitioners frequently see patients with gastrointestinal complaints. When can the family NP treat the patient, and when does the patient need to be referred to a GI specialist? Julia Pallentino, board certified nurse practitioner at GI Associates of Tallahassee in Tallahassee, Florida, discusses with host Mimi Secor common gastroenterological problems and their diagnostics and management. What can family NPs learn from the specialist about screening and treating gastroenterological conditions? On a related note, how can NPs convince the colonoscopy-phobic patient over 50 to begin colon cancer screening?

Though the number of malpractice suits involving nurse practitioners is extremely low compared to other medical providers, as the number of nurse practitioners increases, so does the number of malpractice suits. Nurse practitioner Julia Pallentino, a former medical malpractice attorney in Tallahassee, Florida, joins host Mimi Secor to explain what she calls the "4 C's" of reducing risk of a lawsuit— communication, caring, competance and charting.

Even in times of economic recession, the job outlook for physician assistants is very good. Money Magazine recently ranked PA as the second best job in the country, and US News and World Report ranks PA as the top career in America. However, like most jobs, there is still increased competition for employment. PA Bob Blumm, surgical assistant and distinguished fellow of the AAPA, talks with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell about what you need to do to get prepared for your next job interview.