Simulation for Physician Extenders

Abstract

se of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) in health are grew out of a shortage of physicians and an increasing number of atients who needed care, a situation that persists today. NPs and PAs ave become an integral part of the health care team. Today, the focus is n developing health care teams with the patient at the center. The best ay to develop and maintain a cohesive well-trained health care team is o create an environment that allows the team to train together, an nvironment that “simulates” a realistic patient scenario with realistic ircumstances in which the health care provider gains knowledge to anage/treat patients in a confident and competent manner. This is specially useful in the training of NPs and PAs. Both professions raduate with the medical knowledge needed to care for patients. owever, the amount of clinical time spent training is significantly horter than physician training. Therefore, both NPs and PAs do a fair mount of “learning on the job.” Simulation training is a way that both Ps and PAs can increase clinical skills in a safe but highly realistic nvironment. Simulation can also be used as an evaluation tool for health are providers. NPs and PAs will be using simulation to document ompetence and maintain privileges that they are credentialed to perform. The PA profession began in 1965 at Duke University and was intended o increase access to health care because of a physician shortage. The first roup of PAs were trained in medical care through the Navy but were not ualified to practice in the civilian sector. Over the years, PA training has volved into an advanced competency-based educational program resemling that of medical school training. As of May 2010, there were 88,771 ligible people to practice as PAs and 74,469 PAs actively practicing. The NP profession began as a post-baccalaureate of science in nursing n 1965 at the University of Colorado. These NP students were trained o assume some of the functions historically assigned to physicians. In