Don't Believe the Smear Campaigns

Jan 14, 20231 min read

Hey folks and Happy New Year! I was informed that one of the other medical card companies has a smear campaign directed at me. I'm flattered! They claim that PA's don't provide the same quality of care that a doctor does and that I am trying to hide the fact that you're not getting your certificate from a doctor. Such silliness! Well, just so we're clear, I'm announcing to the world that I'm proud to say I'm a PA and I own and operate my own company. Shocking, right? But, seriously, I put a lot of work into making sure I keep you guys safe and informed. If you need brain surgery, PLEASE, go to a doctor. But, for medical cards, I got you!

12 Comments

Smiley12345

May 15, 2023

Another smear on PA's. What counts is knowledge, experience, and "bedside" manner. This wouldn't stop the smear, but wish Virginia used the term "Nurse Practitioner." Especially because Athena is no ones "assistant."

Athena Baldwin

May 23, 2023

Replying to

Thanks 💚 That whole thing about being an "assistant" has been a hot topic for years. In fact, our national association recently changed the title to "Physician Associate". That title has its own issues. I'm an old dog, so I've been reluctant to use it myself - maybe some day.

By the way, Nurse Practitioner (or NP) is actually used in Virginia, but it's for nurses who are medical practitioners. I've never been a nurse. PA's and NP's come from different teaching models. NP's learn the nursing model and PA's learn the medical model (same as doctors). Ultimately we end up doing the same things, so it's easy to confuse the two. To avoid that mess, many companies who employ…