JAAPA-Journal of the American Academy of Physicians Assistants articles from March 2006

JAAPA-Journal of the American Academy of Physicians Assistants archives from March 2006

Ohio makes it 49!(FROM THE AAPA: News of current interest)(Author abstract)
March 1, 2006... Congratulations to the Ohio Association of PAs (OAPA) and to physician assistants around the country who have supported their legislative efforts over many years. On February 14, the governor of that state signed legislation that makes Ohio the...

Physician assistant among the top 10 professions cited for future job growth.(FROM THE AAPA: News of current interest)
March 1, 2006... The PA profession is once again among the fastest-growing professions in the country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) recently released 10-year projection for future job growth. Physician assistants rank fourth on the list...

The Citizens' Health Care Working Group seeks input.(FROM THE AAPA: News of current interest)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The Citizens' Health Care Working Group is holding community meetings across the United States. PAs are encouraged to add their voices to the discussions. Your opinions will help form a citizens' action plan for President Bush and Congress to...

Clarification.(Correction notice)
March 1, 2006... In the January 2006 issue of JAAPA, the guest editorial (page 13) quoted a figure from the American Academy of Family Physicians Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care that projects a decrease in the number...

A day in the life: how PAs live and work.(physician assistants)
March 1, 2006... My career as a PA started shortly after I moved to rural Tennessee after my graduation from Nova Southeastern University in July 2001. I work for Dr. Lynette Adams, running her family practice clinic in Unionville, Tenn. Dr. Adams also has a...

Growing old gratefully: help from the past, hope for the future.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
March 1, 2006... If you were born between 1946 and 1958, reading this editorial may be like looking into a mirror. If you were born between 1959 and 1964, you may not see yourself reflected yet--but you will get a hint of where you might be headed. Either way,...

Learn, discover, connect at AAPA's 2006 conference!(AAPA VOICE: One unified voice for the PA profession)(American Academy of Physician Assistants, physician assistants)
March 1, 2006... Ensuring your ability to practice * Attend a session on the role PAs play in disaster response. The Academy has model language on utilization of PAs in disaster situations and assists state chapters with improving laws that clarify PA...

How to diagnose the acute red eye with confidence: you can identify and treat many types of conjunctivitis, but you should always know when referral is needed to preserve the patient's vision and, in some instances, the patient's life.(Cover story)
March 1, 2006... The acute red eye is the most common ocular disorder that primary care medical providers will encounter. (1) Most cases of red eye are benign, but sometimes the cause is serious and can lead to permanent vision loss. With limited equipment and...

Understanding diastolic dysfunction: the primary therapeutic goal in treating diastolic heart failure is to restore physiologic balance using symptom-mediated therapy. Pharmaceutical therapy used for systolic dysfunction may actually be harmful.
March 1, 2006... Congestive heart failure (CHF) is an inability of the heart to provide adequate forward output at normal filling pressures to meet tissue perfusion and oxygenation requirements. (1) There are two distinct types of heart failure (HF), left...

CME post-test.
March 1, 2006... EXPIRATION DATE MARCH 2007 AAPA members: Please take this CME post-test online at www.aapa.org. Roscoe M, Landis T. How to diagnose the acute red eye with confidence. JAAPA. 2006; 19(3): 24-30. Chand V. Understanding diastolic...

SARS: are we still at risk? After emerging as the first new pathogen of the 21st century, the SARS virus rapidly caused a worldwide pandemic. The risk it poses to health care workers should make all providers exceedingly vigilant.(severe acute respiratory syndrome)
March 1, 2006... SARS--or severe acute respiratory syndrome--is a relatively new clinical entity whose origin has been traced to Foshan city in China's southern Guangdong province. The earliest identified case of this severe, febrile lower respiratory tract...

Hypertension in children and adolescents: lost between the age gap.(SOUNDING BOARD: JAAPA's op-ed department)
March 1, 2006... In 2003, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) provided a large national database on normative BP levels throughout childhood and revised BP tables to include the 50th, 90th, 95th, and 99th percentiles by gender, age,...

The role of PAs in robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.(THE SURGICAL PATIENT: In and around the OR)(physician assistants)
March 1, 2006... The PA profession has grown enormously since the first PA students began training at Duke University School of Medicine in 1965. PAs have now become mainstay providers in surgical as well as primary care fields, as well as presences in academia...

The patient who feared she had "Michael Jackson's disease".(DERMATOLOGY DIGEST: A derm photo quiz)
March 1, 2006... A 54-year-old woman was referred to the dermatology clinic for evaluation of asymptomatic lesions on her arms and legs. The lesions had been present for several years and were growing slowly in number and intensity. The patient was in excellent...

Prescribing antibiotics does not save time.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(Author abstract)
March 1, 2006... Clinical question Does prescribing antibiotics for viral infections save time? Bottom line Prescribing antibiotics for respiratory infections in children does not improve patient satisfaction and, as shown in this study, doesn't save time....

Additional steroid injection has no added benefit for carpal tunnel syndrome.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)
March 1, 2006... Clinical question Is an additional steroid injection beneficial after an initial injection for treating carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)? Bottom line An additional steroid injection for recurrent symptoms of CTS adds no benefit to a single...

CME calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... ARIZONA April 10-13 PANCE Preparation Course 2006. Where: Glendale. Provider: Midwestern University PA Program. Information: (623) 572-3311, mstatl@midwestern.edu. CALIFORNIA April 1 Legal Issues and the PA Profession. Where:...

Case of the month: diagnostic challenges from your case files.(Brugada syndrome)
March 1, 2006... CASE The patient is a 21-year-old male who experienced a non-witnessed episode of syncope that resulted in a chin laceration. He was visiting his girlfriend's parents, and after dinner with the family he retired to his room. He woke up to...