Ortho visit that has me steaming mad! What do you think?

pupwhipped · ‎03-11-2010

A couple of weeks ago I saw an ortho surgeon for the first time for knee problems I've been having. I really liked this doctor and he ordered an MRI on my knee. I went back Friday to find out the results. To my surprise a very young woman comes in to see me. I was a bit distracted when she came in as I was looking at some blood test results pertaining to my dog who is seriously ill. Then I'm trying to shove the papers back into my purse when maybe she tells me who she is.....I think she said something like she works with Dr. Y. Anyway, I presumed she was a doctor who worked with him but wondered why I wasn't seeing MY doctor. Anyway, she explained the results of my MRI. We decided on a cortisone injection as a first step. She leaves the room and a technician comes in to lay out the injection materials and then puts iodine on my knee. At that point I asked her where was my Dr. Y. She said, "Oh he is here. But Marna usually does his follow-ups as he has to see sooooo many patients." HUH? I get the injection from this Marna and then I leave. I come home still assuming she is a younger doctor who assists only to find out when I go online to their site that she is a PA...a Physician's Assistant.

The more I think about this, the more I fume! I am given the results of my MRI from a physician's assistant instead of my doctor. Have any of you ever had a situation like this? What do you think? I think I am never going back there.

fumed pup

DiAnne · ‎09-22-2010

I think this is norm most places. I don't understand why you are upset. She probably has had much more experience than the Dr. giving injections.

lolakimono · ‎03-29-2012

I have dealt with nurse practitioners, who in many cases spend more time with me than the doctor. My "lady doctor" from several years ago only saw the pregnant patients. Everyone else saw the nurse practitioner, who was fabulous and took care of whatever I needed. I probably was a patient for five years there before I ever saw the doctor.

When I am ill, I really don't care who it is if that person can address the problem in a timely manner. My "primary care physician" is a nurse, which works well, because I have specialists I see if there is something out of her expertise.

Colonel Meow · ‎05-25-2014

On 2/7/2015 DiAnne said:
I think this is norm most places. I don't understand why you are upset. She probably has had much more experience than the Dr. giving injections.

I agree. PAs and ARNPs routinely handle "the grunt work", so to speak. This is quite normal, in my experience. It would be nice to have every interaction with the MD, but that's just not realistic in the medical field.

Iwantcoffee · ‎03-11-2010

Physician's Assistants are very well educated and trained. They are giving you care they are very capable of doing.

pupwhipped · ‎03-11-2010

WOW.

adelle38 · ‎03-09-2010

I don't see any reason to be upset. Specialists frequently use PA's for followup work and the it's a wise use of their time.

It's always a victory for me when I remember why I entered a room.

goodstuff · ‎03-09-2010

I've had both knees replaced by an excellent ortho surgeon based at a major university medical center, and I'm doing great. I've seen his Physician's Assistant on several occasions for routine checks and procedures. I like her very much, find her personable and professional, and she has done an excellent job on each occasion. P.A.'s and nurse practitioners are highly trained individuals who work closely with many doctors nowadays. They work as part of the doctor's patient care team and are often called "physician extenders", as they enable the physician's office to handle more patients and free the doctor up to do complex assessments, procedures, surgeries, etc. Might as well get used to it; we're all going to see more and more of these medical professionals! I'm an old medical assistant and have worked with these folks frequently in medical offices. They generally have time and skill to share with patients, can handle a whole variety of routine medical tasks, know when to refer problems to the doctor, and are usually very well liked by patients. Many patients would rather see the P.A. than the doctor!

cosmic1 · ‎03-10-2010

I think it's great that doctors are using PA's. There are a lot of general things that can be handled by a PA and doesn't need the involvement of the doctor.