Radiology PA's?

[dEviantrAdiologist]

Stumbled onto a site, http://www.clt.astate.edu/RadSci/PschP.htm, wondering what you all would think.

Over time, will this cause as much controversy as nurse anesthetists and the like?

Will the current shortage of Radiologists lead to an influx of inferiorly trained personnel?

Thoughts?

Edit-- Found another site with more info http://weber.edu/chp/programs/radsci.asp

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[Jim Picotte]

They could probably help a lot for angio, interventional doing all the dirty work, H&P, doing all the prep work, even doing all the prep for the CT guided biopsies. Makes sense, but there's only one program and they won't be able to read films, not a chance. Currently, rads is having a personel shortage. Hopefully things will even out in the coming years.

 

[Voxel]

I think that a interventional rads PA/NP is a great thing. Have them do the H&P, check the labs, prep the patient, get the room ready. You could probably double the number of cases per day with 2 IRads PAs. These include the image guided biospies/abscess drainages that general rads do as well.

 

[droliver]

Voxel, there are already people you can hire for that that would be cheaper then a PA/NP. I think what the ultimate goal of these programs is that there would be some kind of independent activity by them to replace rather than support a radiologist doing the procedure

 

[dEviantrAdiologist]

This taken from the Weber Univ. website--

A RPA can do

1)all fluoroscopic procedures, static and dynamic

2)evaluate imaging procedures to determine normal from abnormal

3)provide the radiologist with a technical report

4)invasive procedures, such as arthrograms, fluid drainage, biopsies, placement of naso-gastric and enterocylsis tubes

5)myelograms and any other procedures in which competency has been demonstrated and the radiologist is comfortable letting the RPA do

This doesn't seem like assisting--it looks like a replacement. Hopefully there aren't too many Radiologists that will sponsor an RPA. It seems like they are trying to make RPA's functions like NA's, doing much of the same work with some supervision.

As an aspiring VIR fellow, it would be dark days indeed if private practice IR's chose to hire a much cheaper RPA than partnering a radiologist.

 

[droliver]

sounds to me like they are making a "radiologist-lite" who would work like a nurse anesthetist as a higly-paid employee who does procedures under modest supervision. I don't know if this would be a good thing or not? It could certainly help with the overabundence of studies around as well as the derth of trained radiologists. Hard to say what kind of affect it could have on the job market or salaries for the field at large if it ever caught on. Some of the ridiculous salary #'s being floated around here could sure drive larger acceptance of this new type of allied-health provider like it has with nurse anesthetists in the past

 

[Voxel]

As long as the pa/np was under the supervision of the radiologist, I would not have a problem with this arrangement. However, we may go down a slippery slope with this type of arrangement. Who knows where it will end, ie nurse anesthetists?

In fact, if they were hired specifically to put in picc lines all day long that would free many IRs to do more interesting and lucractive procedures.

 

[droliver]

Unfortunately, history shows us that once various allied health professionals get their foot in their door that the rallying cry becomes autonomy & independent practice

 

[WILEYCYOT4]

Originally posted by Jim Picotte
They could probably help a lot for angio, interventional doing all the dirty work, H&P, doing all the prep work, even doing all the prep for the CT guided biopsies. Makes sense, but there's only one program and they won't be able to read films, not a chance. Currently, rads is having a personel shortage. Hopefully things will even out in the coming years.

I AM A RPA FROM WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY AND I AM NOT TRYING TO TAKE THE PLACE OF A RADIOLOGIST. I HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR A GROUP OF 18, I DO ALL THE PARA/THORACENTESIS AND ALOT OF THE NEEDLEWORK. I PLACE THE SHEATHS ON PATIENTS SO ONE DOCTOR CAN KEEP BOTH ANGIO ROOMS GOING. MY GROUP WOULD RATHER HAVE AN RPA THAN A PA OR NP DO TO THE FACT THAT THE RPA IS AN RADIOLOGY TECH THAT HAS GONE ON FOR HIGHER EDUCATION. SO WE KNOW THE FLUORO ROUTINES AND WE KNOW HOW TO WORK THE MACHINES.

 

[deleted6669]

voxel-
just a bit of info..., RPA's are not PA's.
physician assistants can write scripts, etc and graduate from a PA program.
RPA's are radiologic assistants, different program entirely. no primary care training, etc.
it is unfortunate that they chose the initials rpa, it will cause a lot of confusion.
perhaps "RP" would have been better.

 

[WILEYCYOT4]

Originally posted by emedpa
voxel-
just a bit of info..., RPA's are not PA's.
physician assistants can write scripts, etc and graduate from a PA program.
RPA's are radiologic assistants, different program entirely. no primary care training, etc.
it is unfortunate that they chose the initials rpa, it will cause a lot of confusion.
perhaps "RP" would have been better.

I AGREE I THINK WE SHOULD BE CALLED RP'S OR RA'S. I DON'T THINK WE ARE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS WE ARE RADIOLOGY ASSISTANTS. WE DO RADIOLOGY PROCEDURES THAT THE RADIOLOGIST DELEGATES TO US. WE ARE HIGHER EDUCATED RADIOLOGY TECHS. WE KNOW THE EQUIPMENT AND THE PROTOCOLS AND THAT SEEMS TO BE A PLUS FOR THE RADIOLOGIST. BUT I AGREE WE SHOULD NOT DO H&P'S AND WE CAN'T WRITE SCIPTS. BUT WE KNOW THE X-RAY EQUIPMENT AND THE PROCEDURES BETTER THAN ANYONE.

 

[deleted6669]

wiley-no slam intended. I am all for rpa's. I just think the title leaves a bit to be desired.-e

 

[bat21]

With the severe shortage right now for radiologists, I have been approached by community hospitals to have RPAs do fluoros and have the films telerad to me to read. But that opens up a lot of liability issues.
There is a subgroup of technologists who function very much independently - the sonographers. Busy radiologists can't take the time to rescan every patient, so a good sonographer is worth the money. They also earn very high salary. I am paying one $130,000/ yr in salary. But this also includes calls.