BUSI511DB3

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School

Southern New Hampshire University *

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511

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Medicine

Date

Feb 20, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by fmalik89

Health Services Professionals Physicians and Physician Assistants (PAs) are both essential healthcare professionals, but they have stark differences in the context of their roles, training, practice requirements, practice settings, policy impacts, and workforce issues. To begin with, the amount of training each receives differs greatly. Except undergraduate degrees, which are required by both, physicians require an additional 6-10 years of training through school and other avenues such as residency, whereas it is limited to 2-4 years for PAs. Shi and Singh (2023) make note that, “all states require physicians to be licensed before they can practice medicine,” and non-physician practitioners (NPP) “receive less advanced training than physicians” (Shi & Singh, 2023). These differences are again seen when analyzing physician and PA practice settings, such as requiring medical degrees and state licensing for physicians and master’s degrees and certification exams for PAs. The key distinction between physicians and PAs is in their practice autonomy, in which physicians have the authority to practice medicine independently, whereas PAs are trained to work collaboratively with physicians and operate under their supervision. However, despite the supervision requirements, Physicians and PAs often share several core responsibilities, such as diagnosing and treating diseases, prescribing medications, ordering tests, and providing preventive care and counseling. However, physicians have the autonomy to independently perform surgery, while PAs typically assist in surgical procedures under physician supervision (Shi & Singh, 2023). Given the shared responsibilities with the required supervision, the inclusion of PAs in surgical settings has yielded positive results. Dies et al. (2016) highlight the benefits of combining physicians and PAs in surgical settings in their study that found surgical teams not only reduced resident workload but also led to improved care, as evidenced by a 0.5% late discharge rate, a 16% early discharge rate, reduced hours spent on the electronic medical record (EMR) by junior residents, and residents reported significant enhancements in the quality of care during their rotations (Dies et al., 2016). Both physicians and PAs are currently facing shortages due to factors such as an aging population, a decline in medical school graduates, and a lack of financial support for PA education (Harp, 2023). Harp (2023) also predicts a shortage of approximately 121,000 physicians and 139,160 PA jobs by 2030 in the United States. Despite the shortages, the influence of both positions has an impact on shaping healthcare policy. Physicians often serve in advising roles in federal agencies and insurance companies, while the role of PAs in healthcare policy continues to expand. Interrelationship Between Medical Providers/Professionals and Patients While physicians and PAs have distinct roles and training, they are essential members of the healthcare team, coming together in a collaborative effort to deliver exceptional care to patients. The relationship between healthcare providers and professionals and the patients they serve is fundamental to the success of a healthcare delivery system. Shi and Singh (2023) define the interrelationship between medical providers and professionals and the patients they serve as "the complex and dynamic interactions that occur between healthcare professionals and patients within the context of an overarching healthcare delivery system." According to Shi and Singh (2023), the interrelationship between medical providers and professionals and the patients they serve can be described as "the intricate and constantly evolving interactions that take place

between healthcare professionals and patients within the framework of a comprehensive healthcare delivery system" (Shi & Singh, 2023). Medical providers and professionals play a critical role in diagnosing, treating, providing preventive care, managing chronic conditions, shaping healthcare policy, and advocating for patients, while patients rely on them for expertise and guidance, actively participating in their healthcare decisions and treatment plans, and offering valuable feedback. Shi and Singh (2023) note that this interrelationship can be influenced by factors such as the type of patient needs and the healthcare organization. This is echoed by a study performed by Amankwah et al. (2023), which found that the facilities management service quality, or the degree to which facilities management services meet the needs and expectations of their users, had a positive impact on patients' healthcare experience, the sum of all the interactions that a patient has with the healthcare delivery system (Amankwah et al., 2023). Biblical Implications While there are many benefits of a positive interrelationship between healthcare providers and professionals and the patients they serve, none are greater than the overarching goal of healthcare – better patient outcomes. For many, this can also be achieved through adopting biblical principles, where healthcare providers and professionals can profoundly influence their patients' lives, facilitating physical, emotional, and spiritual healing, and fostering the experience of hope and the love of God. Philippians 4:13 states, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” This verse emphasizes the idea that with faith and reliance on God's strength, individuals, including healthcare providers, can make a significant impact on the lives of others, including patients, by following biblical principles of care and compassion. References Amankwah, O., Choong, W. W., & Boakye-Agyeman, N. A. (2023). The relationship between facilities management service quality and patients’ health-care experience: the mediating effect of adequacy of health-care resource. Facilities , 41 (1/2), 108-125. Dies, N., Rashid, S., Shandling, M., Swallow, C., Easson, A. M., & Kennedy, E. (2016). Physician assistants reduce resident workload and improve care in an academic surgical setting. JAAPA , 29 (2), 41-46. Harp, J. J. (2023). The Shortage of Healthcare Workers in the United States: A Call to Action. In Assessing the Need for a Comprehensive National Health System in the United States (pp. 123-138). IGI Global. Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2023). Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System — With Access (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. ISBN: 9781284235104. The Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/niv/index.cfm (Original work published 1973)

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