Essay On Physician Impairment

In the story of “Old Doc Rivers,” readers learn Doctor Rivers, an alcoholic who is surprisingly able to do his job in impeccable fashion. Physicians require a tremendous amount of coordination and attention, thus seeing a physician that is consistently intoxicated is concerning. Like Morphine, Dr. Rivers appears to use the alcohol as a coping mechanism, thus generally improving his work. Physicians are not exempt from suffering from illness and addictions. Dr. Rivers, “always had a jug of it behind his desk,” an indication of his embrace of addiction. Though dangerous, Dr. Rivers generally does a satisfactory job, leaving his patients with no reason to complain about his addiction. Do physicians that suffer from deadly addictions have to be barred from practicing? Dr. Rivers brings this debate to light. Physicians should be able to practice as long as they are not harming their patients. Though physicians do have a high responsibility in their career, they cannot be treated as outcasts for dealing with problems other people face on a regular basis. Physicians deal with human problems and patients must be aware of that. The social pressures put on Dr. Rivers to address his addiction ultimately led to his decline as a physician. He was a mediocre physician while sober, but a great physician while under the influence of his alcohol or dope. As Dr. Rivers comes to terms with his addiction, he starts messing up more, indicative of the mental battles some physicians face. He epitomized the saying, “doctors make the worst patients,” creating a dangerous situation for himself as he began to decline further into his addiction

Rarely any physician intends to harm patients when he or she provides treatment to them. Patients see physicians and specialists in full faith that they will get help with a condition. What complicates the patient-doctor relationship is that the outcome of each patient’s treatment is different because of individual health conditions and the course of treatment chosen by the doctor. Problems arise when a patient is not satisfied with care provided by the doctor or in extreme cases when a patient dies. Since most of the time it is hard to clearly determine whether the outcome was solely a result of the course of treatment chosen by the doctor or whether other factors played a role too, quite often patients take their

“Dedicated to enhancing professional and personal growth for allied health professionals, American Medical Technologists (AMT) awards the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential to qualifying individuals.

When patients go to a doctor’s office, they need to know that the PA/NP that is treating them is highly qualified. They should feel safe and know that they are in safe capable hands. A patient should never feel like they are not getting the proper care. Patients need to know that they are being

In December 1970, the American Medical Association adopted the following definition for Physician Assistants: “The Physician Assistant [(PA)] is a skilled person qualified by academic and practical training to provide patient services under the supervision and direction of a licensed physician who is responsible for the performance of that physician assistant.” (NY Department of Health). Laws and regulations for the PA profession have been developing over time based on the needs of the society; however, the need for a supervising physician found its way in the definition of the PA early on. Since PAs have been playing an important role in patient’s life, it is not surprising that they needed the supervision of a physician. After all it was a new profession, therefore it needed time to show if it is fulfilling the initial goals of the profession or not.

VERSATILIY The physician assistant profession is extremely versatile and flexible which are wonderful traits for a healthcare provider. In part because of their core generalist education, physician assistants can change clinical specialties over the course of their work life; using medical care providers who can adapt quickly to new opportunities could help alleviate medical workforce shortages in primary care (Hooker, Cawley, & Leinweber, 2009). Their license allows them to practice any specialty that their supervising physician practices, which in turn allows physician assistants to fill necessary gaps as needed. This “Career Flexibility” gives physician assistants an edge over nurse practitioners and physicians who tend to be bound to one

Description: Physician's assistants work under the supervision of a physician to examine, diagnose, and treat illnesses. They are able to record medical histories, perform physical examinations, treat minor injuries, prescribe medication, and administer treatments. Physicians work in all areas including family practice, emergency departments, hospitals, surgery, and psychiatry. Although all PAs work under a physician, in some places this physician may not be present all of the time and only come in the office a couple days a week.

ii. Unconscious physician bias. Another theme in the reading that related back to class was the unconscious biases of doctors influence their interactions with patients, with consequences for patient outcomes. These unconscious biases affect interaction through the doctor’s communication. Establishing a basic understanding of treatment and diagnosis can foster better patient outcomes. An example of unconscious physician bias was Abraham 's focus on former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Sullivan, in chapter eight. Dr. Sullivan’s campaign focused on the individual choice in adopting healthy lifestyle choices from diet to exercise. Skipping over racial disparities, the unconscious bias inferred through his words was that he considered the patient to blame whenever they fell ill.

There are more than 100,000 certified Physician Assistants practicing medicine in the United States. PA’s have a very high starting salary and get to do a lot of hands on work. After just two years of schooling you can come out making an average of $94,000. Being stuck at a desk all day is dreadful, and physician assistants get to choose what they want their work environment to look like. Job opportunities for a PA are expected to go up by more than thirty percent between 2010 and 2020. When you are a PA you have a huge amount of flexibility to choose your specialization. I know that a PA is the best career choice for me because i love to work with people and enjoy social interaction, i love to have flexibility to be able to spend time with my family, and there are very good benefits and there will always be job openings.

Hospital is an institution providing medical care and other services for sick and injured persons. The modern hospital has three major functions: patient care, education and medical research. The total number of hospitals around the world is estimated to be about 1,25,000. In the United States there are about 10,000 hospitals providing services and facilities for the humanity. There are also more than 10,000 nursing homes providing care to the chronically ill and the aged. Thus hospital provide a great service to the society.

The attending physician must refer the patient to a consulting physician to confirm the diagnosis and prognosis, while also determining whether the person is capable for making health care decisions. If either physician suspects the patient may be suffering from a psychiatric or psychological disorder that could impair judgement, the individual must be referred

Employees who are taking prescribed medication should obtain medical advice as to its effects. If the medication impairs an employee’s ability to operate a vehicle or equipment, the employee

In this discussion, the writer will attempt to discuss Scenario 1 which states: You are called to lead a small church, and have begun thinking you are the leader because you are the pastor. In reality, there is an "Indian chief" within the congregation who gives approval for major decisions. You slowly realize that you are the "visiting medicine man." In this scenario, to have a spirit of cooperation instead of competition, the writer would lead by example.

Every one of us has relied on a medical professional at least a few times in our lives. When we get seriously ill, or suffer a serious injury, we put our health in the hands of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, fully expecting to be treated with a certain degree of professionalism and safety. Unfortunately, sometimes the expected care is not given, or not given to the extent which the ailment requires. In these situations, we can feel blindsided, confused, even taken advantage of.

to be at right now? Well, he’d canceled it at 1:45. What about that email that he had