Partners in Practice

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA

Guest: Russell Dorr, PA-C

The virus that nearly wipes out the population in mega-popular horror writer Stephen King's novel The Stand and the physician assistant pressed into running the hospital in King's Under the Dome were created out of the author's imagination — with the technical advice of PA Russell Dorr. Mr. Dorr is a physician assistant at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Family Practice in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and has been Stephen King's medical researcher and advisor since 1975, working behind the scenes when the best-selling author brings medical issues into his fictional worlds. Host Lisa Dandrea Lenell talks with Mr. Dorr about how he began working with Stephen King, and the connections between his work as a PA his involvement in King's books, movies and television miniseries.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP

Guest: Eileen O'Grady, PhD, RN, NP

Every day, we hear about the rise of chronic disease and rates of obesity. How do we persuade patients to change their behavior in order to become healthier? A new answer may lie in the field of wellness coaching. Dr. Eileen O'Grady, nurse practitioner, wellness coach and visiting professor at the Leinhard School of Nursing at Pace University in New York City, talks with host Mimi Secor about the evidence-based methodology behind wellness coaching. They also cover certification requirements and how NPs and PAs interested in career opportunities in this field can set up a wellness practice.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP

Guest: Eileen O'Grady, PhD, RN, NP

How does the medical home fit into the rapidly changing healthcare model in the United States? The idea of the medical home isn't a new one. It's actually based on a concept created by the American Academy of Pediatrics in the 1960s. Dr. Eileen O'Grady, nurse practitioner and visiiting professor at the Leinhard School of Nursing at Pace University in New York, joins host Mimi Secor to explain how the medical home works, the technology needed to set it up and the opportunities the advanced practice clinician will play in this healthcare model.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA

Guest: Elizabeth Sheehan

Seven hundred women a day receive medical care inside moldy tents on the grounds of what once was the Grace Children's Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. But their circumstances will soon improve, thanks to an innovative nonprofit organization, Containers to Clinics, launched by PA Elizabeth Sheehan. Containers to Clinics converts empty shipping containers into state-of-the-art medical facilities in rural areas where electricity, running water and quality medical care are hard to find. Lisa Dandrea Lenell talks to Sheehan about where the idea for Containers to Clinics came from, what it takes to set up a container and what the organization is doing to help the people of Haiti following the devastating earthquake in January 2010.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA

Guest: Donald Sefcik, MD

After many years of discussion, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) will offer PAs Certificates of Added Qualification in 5 specialties, beginning in 2011. Dr. Don Sefcik, chairman of the NCCPA, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to explain what it takes to obtain certification, what the benefits are to PAs, and why the NCCPA decided to institute the certification now, with the nation's healthcare system in flux.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP

Guest: Barbara Phillips

Millions of people worldwide have Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. What do you need to know about today's Internet-savvy e-Patient, who uses online tools to share information with their medical providers, search for medical information, and manage and cope with their medical conditions. Nurse practitioner Barbara Phillips, founder and CEO of NP Choice, LLC, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss how to effectively connect with your patients, and how to set up online policies and online identities.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA

Guest: Ken Harbert, PhD

Do some of your patients have trouble sleeping, experience nightmares or are filled with anger or rage? If so they may be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Ken Harbert, dean of the school of physician studies at South College in Knoxville, Tennessee, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss how to identify post traumatic stress disorder and how to distinguish between PTSD and every day stress, as well as how to get a mental health professional involved in treatment. The two also talk about how PTSD is being incorporated into the curriculum of physician assistant studies.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP

Guest: Yvette Petti, PhD, APRN-BC

In the next five years, women will account for more than 10 percent of the veterans in the United States. The growing population of female soldiers has raised new challenges for government. Not only are women facing some of the same health issues as men, like depression and post traumatic stress disorder, but they are dealing with issues like sexual trauma, and the need for services such as mammograms and fertility counseling. Dr. Yvette Petti, adult nurse practitioner for the Department of Primary Care and Women's Wellness Services at the VA Medical Center in Battle Creek, Michigan, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss what the Veterans Administration is doing, and how they are reaching outside the VA, to meet the health needs of women veterans.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP

Guest: Terri Warren, NP

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one in six people in the US carries the herpes simplex type 2 virus. But herpes is not one of the sexually transmitted infections doctors routinely test for, and many doctors report that it's difficult to talk with their patients about this infectious disease. Nurse practitioner Terri Warren, owner and operator of Westover Heights Clinic, a private clinic specializing in sexually transmitted diseases in Portland, Oregon, joins host Mimi Secor to explain the risks and treatment of genital herpes and the most reliable tests for diagnosing patients.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA

Guest: Emmanuel Teye Adjase, MD

The Rural Health Training School in Kintampo, Ghana, was established in 1969 by the Ministry of Health. Now this one-of-a-kind school has trained more than 500 medical assistants who are the backbone of healthcare in Ghana. Medical assistants, comparable to physician assistants in the US, provide care to people living in remote and under-served communities. Dr. Emanuel Teye Adjase, director of the school, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to talk about the education model, his partnerships with other universities and how the program has thrived and changed to meet the needs in the country over the past four decades.