Will be? They work with me right now but they are not my colleagues. When I want your advice, I'll ask.
Not to put words in
@Psai 's mouth -- but I think it depends on how you use the word "colleague" -- the literal definition is
NOUN
- a person with whom one works, especially in a profession or business.
synonyms: coworker · fellow worker · workmate · teammate ·
So, in that sense, yes, PA's are colleagues as is everyone in the freakin' building -- janitors, admins, MAs, patient transporters, scrub techs, etc. because we all work together. However, and while to some this may seem arrogant and it probably is to a degree, usually colleagues are viewed as those with the same level of training -- which usually means PAs and physicians aren't "colleagues" in that sense.
Now, I work with PAs and NPs, some of whom have more practical experience than I do since I'm a newly minted attending. I'm the kind of person that if I don't know something, I have no problem asking questions of anyone who may know the answer. I usually take it, compare it to my knowledge base of the topic and look up the references to determine if it holds water or not and then decide what to do.
What I find particularly annoying is when (and I've particularly run into this problem with NPs) midlevels who don't know what they don't know are so arrogant as to believe they know it all, don't even question "what could I be missing" and don't recognize that they're following an algorithmic "cookbook" approach -- and no, one size does not fit all -- And once they and their political associations start proclaiming that someone with an NP degree is the equivalent of a board certified attending it tends to frost my cookies a bit -- especially when they don't realize that they're following "protocols" that were written by the attendings in the first place -
I used to be pretty doggone tolerant and didn't want to be the broomstick up the spinal canal stuffed shirt physician so I started off my career having people call me by my first name, etc. and doing all of the touchy-feely type of stuff as "team building" -- we all have an equal place at the table, etc. --after the first time I had a CNO question my medical decision to transfer an obviously sick beyond the capabilities of the hospital patient and offer a ludicrous treatment plan based on their experiences as a "clinician", that came to a quick, screeching halt. I was forced to establish who the HMFIC was in no uncertain terms -- so at this point, we go the other way -- I'm Dr. JustPlainBill to everyone in a clinic setting unless I'm talking with another physician, period, end of discussion. It's easier to loosen up rather than tighten up. There's a hierarchy in medicine for a reason -- I've been in too many situations where a poor decision was made and watched midlevels try to hide/palm it off on their supervising physician who was left holding the bag --- does that happen to physicians -- yes, but usually only to cowboys who don't know when to call for help.
If you want to be my colleague -- go to medical school, finish a residency and get board certified. Otherwise, there will always be a difference.
