Dont get caught up in the degree hype

[JPINFV]

There are dozens of studies showing equivalence between midlevels in every clinical arena from primary care clinic, to ER, to ICU. There are NO studies showing that physicians are superior to midlevels.

So I assume that if you ever need open heart surgery, you'd be happy if an unsupervised midlevel did it? If you were ever rushed to the hospital in sepsis, you'd be happy with a midlevel every step of the way without a physician laying eyes on you even once? After all, midlevels are the same as physicians, right?

 

[JPINFV]

Also...

RESULTS:

Of the encounters documented, 83% were with PCPs, 13% were with covering physicians, and 5% were with midlevel providers. In multivariable analysis, the odds of medication intensification were 49% (P < 0.0001) and 26% (P < 0.0001) higher for PCPs than for covering physicians and midlevel providers, respectively, whereas the odds of lifestyle counseling were 91% (P < 0.0001) and 21% (P = 0.0015) higher. During visits with acute complaints, covering physicians were even less likely, by a further 52% (P < 0.0001), to intensify medications, and midlevel providers were even less likely, by a further 41% (P < 0.0001), to provide lifestyle counseling. Compared with PCPs, the hazard ratios for time to the next encounter after a visit without acute complaints were 1.11 for covering physicians and 1.19 for midlevel providers (P < 0.0001 for both).
CONCLUSIONS:

PCPs provide better care through higher rates of medication intensification and lifestyle counseling. Covering physicians and midlevel providers may enable more frequent encounters when PCP resources are constrained.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23230095

RESULTS:

The PCPs included 64 physicians, 21 NPs, and 7 PAs. Patients treated by physicians and midlevel providers did not differ in their mean visit BP, number of chronic conditions, age, or number of BP medications. Controlling for current and past BP readings and patient characteristics, physicians were significantly more likely than midlevel providers to initiate a treatment change for elevated BP at a visit (53.8% vs 36.4%; P = .001). After controlling for additional visit-specific factors, practice style, measurement, and organizational factors, physicians were still more likely to initiate a treatment change (52.5% vs 37.5%; P = .02).
CONCLUSIONS:

Midlevel providers were significantly less likely than physicians to change BP treatment for diabetic patients with multiple chronic conditions presenting with elevated BP at a single visit. We could not find good explanations for this difference. Given the expanding role of midlevel providers in delivering primary care to complex patients, we need to understand whether these treatment change differences lead to long-term differences in BP control.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19514803


Generally the softer side (i.e. "patient satisfaction") is what's measured. Sure, midlevels might be able to make the patient more satisfied than physicians, but that isn't going to reduce their BGL or their blood pressure. I'd rather be unhappy with my physician and have functioning kidneys than be happy with a midlevel and kill my kidneys with HTN or DM.

 

[WTEngel]

My masters degree is from Tufts University School of Medicine. There's a reason, however, that I never identify the School of Medicine part when people ask where I went.

Exactly. I'm in the same boat... Wouldn't ever cross my mind to tell people I got my masters from the school of medicine.

The OP is just grasping at straws here anyway...PAs technically graduate from the school of physician assistant studies, even if that school is organized under the college of medicine.

 

[JPINFV]

Exactly. I'm in the same boat... Wouldn't ever cross my mind to tell people I got my masters from the school of medicine.

What grinds my gears more is the people who claim to be UCLA alumni because they went there for paramedic school. Yea... sorry... the UCs don't hand out degrees below bachelors.