The problem with half-truths, or media disinformation is that oftentimes they are actually believed if continually repeated or perpetuated. Unfortunately these incorrect spins can become deeply ingrained in the collective mind of people; especially when. grossly out of context or worse yet, not corrected contemporaneously by the reporting entities. Sadly, and painfully, a very well known reality to all PAs who have experienced this stigmatization first-hand in their respective careers by the misinformed patient, practice manager or even dept head administrators. Even more troubling to this author is the apathetic indifference of many of our own peers who remain complicit with our detractors or opponents in this regard primarily the data ( patient safety outcome care metrics) reflect very similar clinical care outcomes between our physician counterparts and us-- the non-physician providers as some like to refer when compared by others.
As I am sure, you have noticed our profession has been malaligned for several years now. Whether it is overtly or not, we have yet to surmount a credible vigorous rebuttal campaign with political muscle in Washington,D.C. PAs for Tomorrow, a recently created Specialty interest group, split from the AAPA given their indifference or anemic stance when creating and developing the PA brand. While they may have been proactive in educating many in advancing our interests, at the end of the day they are somewhat limited since they rely mostly on donations and membership dues. Sadly, to this day, The AAPA has not advanced our brand aggressively nor launched a major national advertising campaign aimed @ focusing on our most pressing initiatives in the marketplace today. For example, nationwide OTP acceptance @ once...not 10 years from today, loss of employment parity due to the strong alignment of the AANP (nursing profession) with strong lobbying supporters.These organizations openly support & fund generously the nursing profession,thus creating friendly Congressional allies. Unlike our community which we lag behind because have not learned “the Art of the deal” by being timid in advocating our own cause, so we remain marginalized...so where's the outrage from the PA community? Obviously yet to be heard.
But, if we continue being passive, uninvolved in our own affairs, the outcome of our professional destiny then will be fated. I hope that this incorrect patient safety narrative spewed by some physician groups through various informational outlets would be the catalyst in becoming the driving force to fundamentally change & awaken us from our collective passivity.
It is my hope that we can all see that without this outrage, we cannot protect and preserve our significant professional advancement that our predecessors secured in our progressive professional evolution.
Stand up and oppose professional misinformation or disinformation or even mischaracterization of a great profession that has served you & all of us well. Donate, speak and or write to debunk this flagrant lie. You must assert the truth when clarifying or inform others about our magnificent profession.
