i'm a 2nd yr DO ER resident in NYC. Funny to read all this comments in the internet. Nobody gives a crap at my hospital about title (maybe cause we're all over worked). Most of the bickering is between the specialties.... like the surgery department who gives me a hard time trying to get a consult (including the PA!!!!). The team concept is true to the core at my hospital, example is when i was doing ortho rotation, me (a DO), the DPM residents, the MD attendings, the ortho PA,we see, round, discuss and treat all the patients and we work together. If i had a question, i didn't have any hesitation to ask the DPMs, the PAs and vice versa. I'm pretty sure out in practice this sort of physician vs PA debate is non existance or very minimal. As far as the title PA as Physician Assistant, i don't see anything wrong with it. It lets people, patients and colleagues know that you are already trained and finished your education necessary to do your work. A PA title is respectable just like mine, DO. Changing the title to Associate or extender in my opinion would bellitle the struggle the older PAs had to endure to get the profession to where it is today. Just like some DO tried to change our title to something like MDO or MD-Osteopathic.......please. For the med students, definitely be proud first of all in getting into medical school and going thru it. Same for the PA students. Last thing, the only people credible to talk about the difference of med school education vs PA school is a PA who went back to med school and have experience both. Sorry about the long reply, trying to stay awake after a crazy trauma night (damn NYC snow storm). Anyway, 6:56 am, about to round on the trauma patients....... with the damn surgeons.
