{"id":205484,"date":"2023-10-05T15:21:42","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T19:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=205484"},"modified":"2023-10-05T15:21:42","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T19:21:42","slug":"spotlight-on-services-pas-in-the-ed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/10\/spotlight-on-services-pas-in-the-ed\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotlight on Services: PAs in the ED"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you\u2019re a patient in an emergency room, given the circumstances you may not be likely to remember all the different roles, let alone the names, of the people involved in your care.<\/p>\n

In the UConn John Dempsey Hospital emergency department, patients often encounter a member of the care team whose credentials and function may not be immediately obvious. But if you\u2019ve been a patient there, chances are your care has been in the qualified hands of a physician assistant.<\/p>\n

\u201cPAs are trained in the medical model like physicians,\u201d says Heather Kurtzman, who\u2019s been a PA for 14 years, the last six at UConn Health. \u201cWe are an extension of the physicians and are fully capable of handling almost all emergencies that come through the doors. We function mostly independently but have the physicians support if needed. We also often spend significant face time with patients in the ED, getting their history and making their care plan while consulting with the doctors behind the scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kurtzman is among the dozen PAs who work in the ED,. She also covers in the urgent care clinic in Canton.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

This group of PAs is just amazing and we are so lucky to have them here at the UConn ED. Working with them every day is seriously one of the best parts of my job. — Dr. Alise Fralliciardi<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cOur PAs in the ED are the backbone of our entire system,\u201d says Dr. Alise Fralliciardi, UConn Health\u2019s medical director of emergency medicine. \u201cThey cover our ED 24 hours a day and quietly and efficiently make an unpredictable ED flow smoothly. The team we have is insanely talented, smart, effective, compassionate and professional. They take their work so seriously and take pride in their patient care. They bend over backwards to make sure patients have what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kathryn
Kathryn Smith is the lead physician assistant in the UConn Health John Dempsey Hospital emergency department. December 5, 2019 (Tina Encarnacion\/UConn Health photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Katie Smith, the ED\u2019s lead PA for the last five years, says physician assistants work both independently and in partnership with Fralliciardi and the other attending physicians to care for patients with a wide range of conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cPAs are an integral part of the operations of the emergency department here at UConn Health,\u201d Smith says. \u201cWith the fluidity to see patients in all areas of the department and of varying levels of acuity, our PAs play a major role in ensuring department flow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recalling the height of the pandemic, Kurtzman says the group drew a collective strength from working through it together, supporting each other with a blend of humor and sarcasm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up playing sports and the ED has always provided a team atmosphere,\u201d Kurtzman says.<\/p>\n

She acknowledges that emergency medicine also comes with its share of challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have chosen to be PAs because we love this career and medicine and love this specific role,\u201d Kurtzman says. \u201cWorking in patient care can be challenging in today\u2019s world where people expect instant satisfaction and problems to be solved immediately, which we often cannot do. We are often yelled at, insulted, and talked down to, but you grow a thick skin and know that in the end, we always try to do our best and do what is best for the patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kurtzman is a graduate of the PA program at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. She says she knew as an undergrad she wanted to be a physician assistant, so she worked as a phlebotomist in New York City to build patient care hours for her application.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a great group of PAs from various backgrounds,\u201d Smith says. \u201cSome have backgrounds in primary care, urgent care and surgical specialties, while others came to us straight from their student rotations here in the ED.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Carly
Carly Roy is a physician assistant in the UConn Health John Dempsey Hospital emergency department. October 24, 2019. (Tina Encarnacion\/UConn Health photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That was Smith\u2019s road to UConn Health, straight out of the PA program at Springfield College in 2013.<\/p>\n

Four years later, that was Carly Roy\u2019s path.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting to interact with and treat patients of all ages, from different backgrounds and with their own stories is one of my favorite things about this job,\u201d Roy says. \u201cThe most rewarding aspect of my job is when I am able to make a patient\u2019s day a little better. Patients don\u2019t typically come to the ED because they\u2019re having a good day. Providing a patient care with compassion and understanding is equally as important to me as providing the actual medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n

She notes that she and her fellow PAs treat conditions that involve all organ systems and perform a variety of procedures, such that no two days in the ED are alike. The variation appeals to her.<\/p>\n

What also appeals to Roy about UConn Health is her experience in the ED during her elective rotation as a PA student, which she says was her favorite rotation.<\/p>\n

\"Andrea
Andrea Dorak is a physician assistant in the UConn Health John Dempsey Hospital emergency department. (Tina Encarnacion\/UConn Health photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cUConn truly is a learning hospital,\u201d Roy says. \u201cI wasn\u2019t only taught by my preceptor, but by the entire team. I learned from the PAs, attendings, nurses and MAs. Everyone really is willing to help the students learn. I continue to see this now with the different students and residents who cycle through. My coworkers play a big role in what keeps me here. I feel very thankful to be a part of this team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ersilda Ajce, who also joined UConn Health in the ED right out of the Springfield College program, three years after Roy did, reports a similar experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a rotation here and loved the environment and was happy to start my career as a PA here,\u201d Ajce says. \u201cEveryone is a great teacher and wants you to learn to be the best provider you can be. I love the environment of the ED. You never get bored. Every day is different and there is always so much to be learned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erica Sheehan ’10 (ED) has been an emergency medicine PA for six years. She joined UConn Health from Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London early last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually never thought that I would end up working in an ED but I found that I really enjoy it,\u201d Sheehan says. \u201cI like being exposed to all sorts of different medical conditions and different patient populations. Every day I see and learn something new. I am certainly never bored at work!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Thomas
Thomas Yantus is a physician assistant in the UConn Health John Dempsey Hospital emergency department. June 29, 2020 (Tina Encarnacion\/UConn Health photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The PAs in UConn Heath\u2019s ED mostly work 12-hour shifts, three days a week, rotating to cover one weekend a month and dividing the major holidays.<\/p>\n

Sheehan, who studied exercise science as a UConn undergrad, says what she finds most rewarding about her work is any time she can help a patient.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis can be something as simple as prescribing an antibiotic for strep throat or providing a referral to a specialist and helping coordinate outpatient care,\u201d she says. \u201cOther times it\u2019s identifying a serious condition and initiating management from the ED and then coordinating inpatient care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oct. 6-12 is National Physician Assistant Week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis group of PAs is just amazing and we are so lucky to have them here at the UConn ED,\u201d Fralliciardi says. \u201cWorking with them every day is seriously one of the best parts of my job. The ED is a hard place to work. It is long hours, nights, holidays and weekends. They do this because they love it, and it shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

UConn Health has more than 60 physician assistants working in its hospital or outpatient practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are most fortunate to have such a remarkable group of clinicians in our physician assistants, who provide outstanding care daily in service to our patients,\u201d says John Dempsey Hospital Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer Caryl Ryan. \u201cIt is important that we recognize and acknowledge their contributions, not just this week, but year-round.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur physician assistants are an integral part of our provider teams,\u201d says Dr. Scott Allen, UConn Health\u2019s chief medical officer.\u00a0 “Their range of expertise spans emergency and critical care to assisting on surgeries and to our ambulatory clinics. They are an outstanding group of practitioners who elevate the quality of care and patient experience at UConn Health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Physician assistants, also sometimes referred to as physician associates, are licensed clinicians who\u2019ve completed an accredited master\u2019s degree-level program, performed 2,000 hours of clinical rotations, and passed a certification exam, according to the American Academy of Physician Associates, which estimates more than 168,000 PAs are practicing in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people are under the impression that we really are \u2018assistants\u2019 \u2014 the name is misleading \u2014 but in the ED we are very independent, see our own patients and come up with our own plans,\u201d Ajce says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A look at the role of physician assistants from the point of view of the PAs who work in the UConn John Dempsey Hospital emergency department<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":205488,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2231,179],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2010],"class_list":["post-205484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-well-being","category-uconn-health"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-13 19:20:08","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205484"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":205559,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205484\/revisions\/205559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/205488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205484"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=205484"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=205484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}