Did you REALLY see a doctor?

A month ago before a flight, I got water in my ears, and I couldn’t get it to drain. It was bugging me.  And then I came down with a bug that didn’t seem to want to go away.  I decided I’d better go to the walk-in clinic and get looked at before I ended up with “helmet head” from flying with water in my ear.  It would certainly ruin my trip.

I arrived at the walk-in clinic first thing in the morning. I think I was there third patient.  I waited about 20 minutes and was lead to the exam room.

The nurse came in, took my blood pressure and temperature, and asked me what was wrong, took notes and left the room.

I then waited another 10 minutes before the infamous knock on the door came, and a pretty young, but tall and heavy-set blond woman entered the room.

Her face was radiant.  She was clearly a happy individual who loved what she was doing.  She stood out to me in her demeanor for a doctor.  She was super pleasant and amenable. She had an almost baby-face and by her sincere smiles alone, I liked her a lot.

She was remarkably down-to-earth. I knew I had never met a doctor like her before.

She looked in both of my ears, listen to me, let me asked questions and confirmed I definitely had water in my ear that needed treatment.  She said she wanted to give me a prescription and told me how to take it.  She also informed me that I was running a low temp, and that I likely had a virus that would run its course–not to worry.

She was extremely compassionate. I couldn’t help but notice it.

I left, went home and went about my life.  I felt better UNTIL the bill came, and it wasn’t about amount due in the bill that upset me.  When I saw the doctor’s name, I saw the letters P.A. after it. I didn’t see M.D.  Below her name,  I saw the name of another M.D. I had seen another time, and I knew her name, but I never saw her. 

Why was her name on the bill?

I was quite annoyed. What was going on?

I immediately ran to my computer and typed “P.A.” and what I found really disturbed me. I realized that I had never, ever saw a doctor during that visit.  I saw what is known as a “physician assistant”.  She’s not a registered nurse nor a nurse practitioner.  She’s a physician’s assistant. It’s a profession all to its own.

Have you heard of them?  Apparently they have been around forever!

I was really pissed off!

I realize I didn’t have any major medical problems–thank god–but don’t you think if someone comes in with a stethoscope around their neck, treats you and writes you prescriptions that they should be required by law to tell you that they are NOT a doctor??

I felt deceived. I still feel deceived.

I had just finished writing “Stephanie,” who I thought was a doctor, a glowing review.  Her review was sitting on the counter to go out in the mail the next day. I grabbed it and ripped it up and tossed it. I was not praising this tactic in any form. It’s interesting how her review came in before the bill, isn’t it?

About P.A. from the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA):

PAs deliver a broad range of medical and surgical services, including: 

• Conducting physical exams 
• Obtaining medical histories
• Diagnosing and treating illnesses 
• Ordering and interpreting tests 
• Counseling on preventive health care 
• Assisting in surgery 
• Prescribing medications

AAPA also says, “The average length of a PA education program is 27 months.”   Compare that to a real doctor who studies for YEARS.

Next time you see a doctor, don’t be so sure you are ACTUALLY seeing a doctor.

Remind me to tell you about my mom’s anesthesiologist next time, too.  She wasn’t who she seemed to be either!

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