Dawn Morton-Rias PA-C

The saying “pressure makes diamonds” refers to situations where challenging, often seemingly insurmountable circumstances result in people demonstrating their potential and achieving exceptional results. 

COVID-19 has applied a type of pressure on the U.S. this year that none of us have experienced in our lifetimes. As a country, as families, as individuals, and as a medical community we have been tried and tested repeatedly, but our resilience and fortitude has and will continue to see us through this pandemic.

Like every other segment of healthcare professionals, certified physician assistants (PA) have been put to the test during 2020. The stress of battling a new virus, long hours caring for patients for whom they wish they could do more, efforts to support scared and distraught families, concern for medical colleagues, worry for the health of their own families, and the toll exacted by often isolating themselves from home to avoid possibly infecting loved ones would, at first glance, seem enough to break the best of us.

But, though bent by the demands of the pandemic, America’s certified PAs are most definitely not broken.

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) just released a new report on the PA profession, 

2019 Statistical Profile of Certified Physician Assistants

which shows that certified PAs remain well suited to meet our country’s rising demand for healthcare workers, now more than ever before.

In 2019, as we unknowingly advanced towards a global pandemic, over 10,000 newly certified PAs began practicing, swelling America’s certified PA workforce to almost 140,000 strong. Though COVID-19 strains our country’s healthcare resources and economy, Americans can rest a bit easier knowing that certified PAs are on the frontline in all specialties, settings, and states helping to care for some of the most critical patients, as well as continuing to provide high-quality care to 9.5 million patients every week. 

Virus-related or not, whether your healthcare needs take you to a hospital - where over 40% of certified PAs practice - or an office-based private practice - where you'll find 38.6% of certified PAs - this group of highly-trained medical professionals stands ready to provide exceptional medical care.

Over the last few months our country has been privileged to hear the stories of amazing healthcare heroes who are accomplishing outstanding things for the most vulnerable patients. For every one of those heroes who are so deservedly highlighted, there are many others following suit in every community around the country to help patients recover from illness, mend broken bones, and manage chronic pain. 

Today, more PAs work in surgical subspecialties than ever before, the most common being orthopedic surgery (10.9%), and the percent of certified PAs practicing in pain management has increased 152% since 2016.

The certified PA profession, which grew by 37% over the past six years, remains strong. Since only 6% of the workforce plans to retire in the next five years, certified PAs will remain a steady and constant source of high-quality healthcare for Americans, despite whatever challenging times have or may continue to come our way. 

The pressure of COVID-19 didn’t form certified PAs into diamonds, it just polished them to a high gloss, allowing their many facets and brilliance to shine through, more brightly than ever before.

Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D., PA-C, is President & CEO of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), based in Johns Creek, GA. She has held that position since 2014, and has practiced in family medicine, addictive medicine, gynecology and acute care for the homeless.

Articles

COVID-19 has applied a type of pressure on the U.S. this year that none of us have experienced in our lifetimes. Like every other segment of healthcare professionals, certified physician assistants have been put to the test during 2020. 

Pandemic Demands Highlight Resilience, Value of Physician Assistants 

	Mental and behavioral health conditions, including substance misuse, are reaching epidemic proportions throughout the U.S. How can we as an industry help address the growing need and demand for quality mental health services?

	One of the more promising solutions is the expanded use of certified physician assistants (PA-Cs) to share the workload of busy psychiatrists by filling gaps in care in mental health clinics, hospitals, busy EDs and other settings. PA-Cs are prepared through classroom and clinical education at the graduate level and certification maintained by earning substantial CME and passing rigorous assessments every 10 years.

	Here are five ways PA-Cs can help plans and provider groups meet the growing demand for effective and quality focused behavioral healthcare services:

Expand access to care in underserved markets. 

	The realities of psychiatric care shortages in the U.S. are well documented.  The good news is that four of the top mental Health Professional Shortage Areas, are also four of the top five states with the largest numbers of certified PAs: California, Texas, Florida and New York. In these states, a strong PA workforce is already in place, working in collaboration with psychiatrists and other mental health providers.

Collaborate with, and share the workload for, busy behavioral health providers

	Depending on their chosen specialty and clinical setting, PA-Cs diagnose and manage a range of mental disorders including ADHD, depression, anxiety, addiction, bipolar disorder, autism and schizophrenia. Utilizing PAs to provide initial intake and manage urgent cases, as well as communicating with family members and coordinating discharge with community physicians, helps free psychiatrists to focus on the most difficult cases.

Offer the knowledge and educational background employers, colleagues, and patients want and need.

	PA-Cs are educated in graduate level programs that include about 1,000 didactic hours of general medical science, including behavioral health, followed by approximately 2,000 hours in clinical rotations. In addition, PAs maintain certification through an ongoing program that includes earning 100 hours of CME every two years, as well as rigorous assessments every 10 years. PAs in psychiatry typically chose that specialty and are committed to ongoing education in the field. Many PAs further their education by securing a 

Certificate of Added Qualification in Psychiatry

 from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

Ensure coordinated and collaborative healthcare.  

	Just because a patient has a mental illness or even an addiction does not mean that their needs for other healthcare services stop.  Because PAs are educated and certified as generalists, they can also provide care for patients’ routine and urgent healthcare needs, whether that be a cold, flu, or managing an existing chronic condition such as diabetes.  That enables healthcare teams to provide more integrated care and to better coordinate on the interaction of non-psychiatric medications on patients’ overall health status and recovery.

	Medication management is one of the key services provided by PAs in behavioral health settings.  With changing laws, PAs in most states can prescribe medications such as buprenorphine, and other opioid agonists used to relieve drug cravings.  As psychiatrists are currently limited in the number of patients they can prescribe this class of medications for, the incorporation of a PA-C into addiction treatment programs can further expand the practice’s ability to treat those with opioid addictions.

	Current data shows that over 70% of PAs now work in specialties like psychiatry–outside of primary care. As demand for mental health services continues to escalate, Certified PAs can be counted on as prepared and proven to provide high-quality, cost-effective care in this field.

Dawn Morton-Rias, EdD, PA-C, is the president and CEO of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), which is the sole certification organization for the nation’s 115,000-plus PAs. The NCCPA supports a range of public health initiatives through its nccPA Health Foundation. In 2017, the Foundation convened the PArtners in Mental Health Summit to focus on mental health initiatives and to expand the ability of certified PAs to improve mental health through community based efforts.

2016 Statistical Report of Certified PAs by Specialty

, more than 1,200 certified PAs work specifically in psychiatry. Full-time psychiatry PAs see an average of 68 patients a week, treating over 80,000 patients a week or more than 4,000,000 patients a year. In addition, many of the nation’s 115,000 Certified PAs recognize, screen, and treat mental illness in primary care settings, hospitals, and EDs across the country.

How can we as an industry help address the growing need and demand for quality mental health services? One of the more promising solutions is the expanded use of certified physician assistants.

Author | Dawn Morton-Rias PA-C

Articles

Pandemic Demands Highlight Resilience, Value of Physician Assistants

Five ways PAs help plans, providers meet mental health needs