Just Learned My Doctor Is Not A Doctor

PA-C is not something we have heard of on this side of the pond, so I looked it up. It reads:
"This dutiful, ongoing education creates credentialed PAs who are confident and eager to serve the patients of their community. Certified PAs can indeed be just as effective as physicians, delivering comparable patient care while cutting costs."

In the UK some dentists have long been accustomed to being able to call themselves by the title Dr. or Doctor, something which their own regulator permits; but the Advertising Standards Authority continues to chastise those who do so in advertising materials as they believe the title is misleading.

Another holder of the doctor title is someone with a PhD. A Doctor of Philosophy is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields.

Confused? Do you know that surgeons in the UK have the title Mr. instead Dr. In part it's snobbery, the reason dates back almost 300 years. In London, after 1745, this was conducted by the Surgeons' Company and after 1800 by The Royal College of Surgeons. If successful they were awarded a diploma, not a degree, therefore they were unable to call themselves 'Doctor', and stayed instead with the title 'Mr.'
Ladies, only male surgeons can drop the title doctor and assume Mr.
 
fmdog44 said:
Her card reads "PA-C" which means Physicians Assistant Certified. Not sure how to approach this but as long as there is nothing going wrong I am OK with it.
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Is she in private practice or attached to a medical office?
 

That’s what most of the providers in my part of NYS are.
I actually prefer them to the MDs, they seem to be more willing to listen and they haven’t reached that I can walk on water pinnacle yet...IMHO
My cardiologist and my orthopedic guy aren’t doctors however they do work in close advisement and oversight by MDs
 
The credentials of a doctor I had many years ago were a bit suspect.
I went to him with severe back pains on three occasions, and on all three visits, he turned me into a frog for the day, then I visited him a fourth time when he then turned me into a lion.......that's when I ate the bas**rd. :)
 
I had a very fine and thorough doctor until he moved about 20 miles away and is now a member of some conglomerate so now you have to do everything through an automated phone system and I got so pissed I dropped him. Being old fashion will soon be punishable by life in prison.😠
 
jujube said:
I prefer seeing the PA, frankly. You usually get more time.
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Yes you do get more time. The PA at my doctor's office also makes house calls for the elderly. They call me three times a year to see if I would like a visit. When she comes out we discuss my concerns, meds and she takes vitals, etc. She makes a list to be discussed with my doctor and he then calls me or emails me the answers.
 
Many PA's are excellent, and some are better than some of the doctors.

As long as you don't need particular services that only a doctor can legally do, a P.A. is good unless you have some other problem with the individual one. (Same as with doctors, and other professions)
 
When my tabby bit me and it got very infected, I went to the walk in clinic. I was seen by a FNP (family nurse practitioner) She gave me the right medications and the infection was looking better by 12 hours later.

My tabby didn't bite me on purpose, it was an attention bite and I don't think she realized she bit so hard.
 
I had the nearest equivalent here, to your PA in America.

The lady who treated me in the Urology department, when I first
met her she was a Sister, after a few years when I was in her care
again, she was called a "Clinical Nurse Specialist" and was in my
mind better that the surgeons, many of whom were young and
just starting in that department to see if that is the branch they
want to stay with.

It is a bit like the Army, the Sergeant and above non-commissioned
ranks know a lot more than the Officers.

Mike.
 
Remy said:
When my tabby bit me and it got very infected, I went to the walk in clinic. I was seen by a FNP (family nurse practitioner) She gave me the right medications and the infection was looking better by 12 hours later.

My tabby didn't bite me on purpose, it was an attention bite and I don't think she realized she bit so hard.
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I a lot of times see the nurse practitioner. My pain doctor, an anesthesiologist, got very busy in his surgery center. The nurse practitioner takes much of his follow up office visits. When I see my Internist I see the Internist unless it's an emergency then they put me in with the practitioner.
 
"PA-C" which means Physicians Assistant-Certified I have several of them. I prefer them instead of regular MD or specialist. I had a Reconstructive Dr. putting shots in my knee every 3 months. I went to see him on July 2nd. I have severe pain in the upper leg close to the hip. He came in & said it's only a pulled muscle you need to walk more & walked out the door?? Well, It kept getting worse. I called to get back into him as I could hardly walk.

Nope, I have to see a "PA-C" Nurse practitioner. I see him on Monday to get my shot in my knee & as other people tell me he will take as much time as I need & will stay with you till all your questions are answered. Maybe he will listen & find out what the clicking is up next to my hip that six 650 mg Tylenol won't touch the pain in 8 hrs.

I also have a PA-C Nurse practitioner that checks my skin every 6 months. She is great, Takes about 54 minutes going over you & as my normal I never get out of there without getting cut on. She sits down & explains what she sees or seen & what to expect from the biopsy. She did 2 a week ago. I got a call yesterday I got to go back in as one on my leg is almost cancer. So they have to go deeper & wider to make sure they get it all before it turns to real cancer.

So for me, I'll take a PA-C Nurse practitioner over a Dr. anytime.
 
A few years back I got a very rare and awful tick fever, akin to Lyme's disease but harder to treat. Went through a bunch of doctors and antibiotic cocktails without success. I finally stumbled on a Nurse Practitioner who specialized in tick diseases, did nothing else. He quickly identified the problem and put me on a treatment that worked. Been a believer in them ever since.
 
My MD Doctor retired. His replacement will be a young whippersnapper who will finish his residency in August. I'm debating with myself if I want to stay with the whippersnapper replacement, find a different and more experienced MD, or change to one of the Nurse Practitioners in the same practice.
 
Hi, @J-Kat
Myself I have found that some of the very young doctors are excellent, and some of them are not, so you might consider trying that one they are getting, before deciding.
Or try one of the N.P.'s , if you haven't already, in the past.

I found that switching to a different doctor practice is not that easy, and not good to do, if you might want to change back.

At one time, they had allowed a visit to meet a new doctor, but now, they require you to switch completely, before ever meeting anyone at the new one's office.
 
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Murrmurr said:
I don't like being seen by a PA. The last one I was seen by didn't know what a parathyroid was. And I didn't bother to tell her, I just went to a different medical group.
My MD is very willing to listen and she's also thorough and kind. Between scheduled appointments we communicate via email if needed.
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Did you have to have it (one one of them ) removed ? I think I was told that, of the people who suffer from kidney stones, only around 5% or so are caused by those glands.

Back in my 40's I started suffering from stones. Had to have 3 removed over a few short years. in those days they opened you up, slit the ureter, removed the stone and sewed you up. They finally determined that it was a parathyroid problem. Went to a specialist in Boston.

They laid me on the table, slit my throat, biopsied all 4 glands (while you laid there), found one bad, removed it and I've never had another stone over the past 40 some years. Only posted this as I hardly ever see anyone who IS familiar with them.
 
DaveA said:
Did you have to have it (one one of them ) removed ? I think I was told that, of the people who suffer from kidney stones, only around 5% or so are caused by those glands.

Back in my 40's I started suffering from stones. Had to have 3 removed over a few short years. in those days they opened you up, slit the ureter, removed the stone and sewed you up. They finally determined that it was a parathyroid problem. Went to a specialist in Boston.

They laid me on the table, slit my throat, biopsied all 4 glands (while you laid there), found one bad, removed it and I've never had another stone over the past 40 some years. Only posted this as I hardly ever see anyone who IS familiar with them.
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I suspected there could be a tumor on one of them, a common thing, or maybe one or both of them just wasn't working optimally for some reason because my blood had calcium overload. About 5 years and a lot of tummy aches later I had to have my gall-bladder removed; gallstones. With diet changes and herbal teas I've had the calcium levels pretty well under control for the past few years, so I haven't worried about it. But I should probably bring it up with my (real) doctor.
 


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