Emergency Room PA extent of practice
Emergency Room PA extent of practice
Do ER PA's ever get to see the serious, high acuity patients that sometimes present to the ER. I know a lot of PA's/NP's are well known for covering quick-care centers and "fast track" ER's. Will a PA be confined to this low acuity area? Do ER PA's ever have the opportunity to place chest tubes or see gravely ill people who present to the ER or is that left up mainly to the MD/DO?
Re: Emergency Room PA extent of practice
It depends on the ER. In general, I would say that you will get to do more than you might think. In some ERs, PAs run codes, intubate, chest tubes, etc. We had a PA speak in one of my classes and she had handled amputated fingers tips by herself - and I mean doing the surgery in the ER, not sending them to surgery. Obviously she was not trying to reattach them - I think they had been mangled or something. Anyhoo...
What's more, in ER they teach you that a certain percentage of patients in any ER is much sicker than they appear. This means that even if you do mostly fast track, you will get your share of very ill/injured patients. Sometimes the fast track people code or "crump" on you (go bad/code/crash).
There are also trauma surgery PAs who work trauma codes in the ER. My classmate Sundance works as part of such a team, and let me tell you, she and the PAs on her team are frickin' badasses.
So it depends. If you're a PA in a small town, you might do a less. But you might be given more responsibility because there are fewer providers around. If you're good, you'll do plenty.
What's more, in ER they teach you that a certain percentage of patients in any ER is much sicker than they appear. This means that even if you do mostly fast track, you will get your share of very ill/injured patients. Sometimes the fast track people code or "crump" on you (go bad/code/crash).
There are also trauma surgery PAs who work trauma codes in the ER. My classmate Sundance works as part of such a team, and let me tell you, she and the PAs on her team are frickin' badasses.
So it depends. If you're a PA in a small town, you might do a less. But you might be given more responsibility because there are fewer providers around. If you're good, you'll do plenty.