Tag: advanced practitioners

Stress, Stamina, and Service: Exploring Healthcare’s Most Demanding Jobs

Healthcare workers are some of the most commendable and hard-working professionals in modern-day society. From dealing with high-pressure situations on a daily basis to picking up the slack caused by professional shortages in the industry, these professionals put their own health, safety, and well-being on the line to perform admirable tasks.

However, not all healthcare worker roles are created equal. Unfortunately, some specific healthcare professionals have to endure some of the most difficult experiences in their roles.

Gaining a clearer perspective on which healthcare positions are the most difficult and demanding can provide one with a deeper appreciation of these commendable professionals.

Here is an exploration of healthcare’s most demanding jobs.

Nursing Roles

While many are aware that nurses have a difficult job, far fewer realize just how strenuous and stressful these jobs can be.

In nursing, there are a variety of roles that these professionals can step into. These include roles such as advanced practice nursing roles and registered nursing roles. When it comes to these specific nursing roles, each one comes with its own unique challenges and obstacles that professionals must overcome on a consistent basis.

Here are some of the most demanding nursing roles in the current healthcare landscape.

Registered Nurses

Registered nurses can be seen as the backbone of the modern American healthcare system. From assessing patients to administering medication to educating those they treat; these healthcare professionals are kept busy from the moment they clock into work.

The wide variety of technical tasks and the high-pressure situations that nurses find themselves in on a consistent basis are some of the reasons that this is such a demanding role.

Sadly, in today’s evolving world, this isn’t the only reason that these professionals have such difficult jobs.

Today, there is currently a massive nursing shortage that is affecting scores of medical facilities across the nation. As a result of this shortage, nurses now have to pick up the slack and perform more tasks than they really should need to.

The combination of already difficult tasks with understaffed working environments makes the roles of these professionals exceedingly difficult. For this reason, many would-be nurses are foregoing obtaining their nursing licenses because of the increasingly demanding nature of registered nurse roles.

Travel Nurses

Travel nurses are one specific subset of nurses that can have a particularly grueling professional life. In essence, these are highly skilled nurses who travel to various locations across the country to help different medical institutions address their nursing shortages.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, travel nurses played a key role in ensuring that patients across the country received the care they needed. Unfortunately, despite the importance of these healthcare professionals to the healthcare ecosystem, they work in incredibly difficult professional environments.

Given the nature of their role, travel nurses are constantly working in understaffed facilities. Typically, these hospitals are incredibly busy and hectic, increasing travel nurses’ risk of developing symptoms of stress, anxiety, and burnout.

If this wasn’t enough, travel nurses must also constantly travel to different locations across the country. This can make it difficult to maintain a healthy relationship with one’s family and friends, often resulting in feelings of isolation.

For these reasons, travel nurses have some of the most grueling and demanding careers in healthcare. However, it must be noted that because of the unique and difficult nature of the travel nurse career path, these professionals typically command higher salaries than their registered nurse counterparts.

Clinical Psychologists

Clinical psychologists have incredibly demanding jobs that can often take a toll on their personal lives and sense of well-being. However, they are incredibly helpful to countless people, and they play an important and invaluable role in the modern healthcare landscape.

Essentially, clinical psychologists help treat mental health ailments in the patients they serve. While they may enjoy aspects of their jobs, there are many ways in which the role can be incredibly draining and stressful.

When it comes to treating patients, balancing the needs of patients can be extremely difficult. This is especially true for those with more severe mental health ailments. On top of this, having to work with patients through harrowing experiences on a regular basis can also take a huge toll.

Given the draining nature of the clinical psychologist role, this job definitely should be recognized as one of the most demanding careers in healthcare.

Healthcare Professionals Should Be Commended

Nearly every healthcare professional role comes with its fair share of challenges. However, some specific roles are particularly grueling and require professionals to deal with a significant range of obstacles on a regular basis.

Fortunately, there are countless brave and committed professionals out there who step into these roles and strive to help patients. As a society, it is our duty to recognize the sacrifices of these individuals and shower them with the praise and commendation they deserve.

With a Bachelor’s in Health Science along with an MBA, Sarah Daren has a wealth of knowledge within both the health and business sectors. Her expertise in scaling and identifying ways tech can improve the lives of others has led Sarah to be a consultant for a number of startup businesses, most prominently in the wellness industry, wearable technology and health education. She implements her health knowledge into every aspect of her life with a focus on making America a healthier and safer place for future generations to come.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Empowering Patients and Families: The Role of Nurse Practitioners in Palliative Care

The role of a nurse practitioner (NP) offers various types of opportunities and experiences. While many NPs work from doctor’s offices or hospital floors, others focus on more specialized areas. One of these is caring for terminally ill and end-of-life patients as they navigate their palliative journey.

As with so many careers in medicine, being a palliative care NP comes with a range of challenges, demands, and responsibilities. Nevertheless, it can also be a valuable experience in empowering patients and families as they face an emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically significant part of their lives.

Let’s take a closer look at the role of nurse practitioners in palliative care.

Care Planning and Symptom Management

One of the most impactful ways NPs can empower patients and their families is by helping them develop care plans. The last thing many people navigating palliative care want is to have arrangements that affect their lives just dictated to them. Rather, NPs, with their empathetic skill sets and in-depth medical knowledge, can act as expert guides. They provide patients and families with practical advice that both serves medical and emotional needs.

Care planning, by its nature, has to be a meticulous process. After all, terminal illness treatment can be quite complex. NPs can start by making a thorough assessment of the patient’s current health condition. This considers how severe the symptoms of specific illnesses are, but also elements that affect their quality of life, such as range of motion, mobility, and general comfort. NPs can also then discuss what the patient’s palliative journey goals and concerns are.

This is where an NP’s professional and compassionate abilities can be particularly effective. They’ll need to find ways for the medical and personal needs of the patients — and in some instances, the families involved — to meet. If there are problems, such as the side effects of some medications clashing with patients’ quality of life requirements, they discuss the options with the patient. Being transparent about the consequences, challenges, and benefits of different care paths is essential for patients to make informed decisions.

From here, NPs can create a formal document of care and symptom management that is shared with other relevant care staff and specialist medical providers. Importantly, NPs can revisit the plan periodically with patients as their symptoms and preferences develop during their care. This ensures that there’s always a medically robust yet patient-centric approach to delivering services.

Maintaining Mental Wellness

Palliative care is an emotionally and psychologically challenging experience. It’s also important to recognize that there is a growing national mental health crisis. A combination of factors contributes to difficulties here, from the escalating price of psychological health care to the sense of stigma surrounding mental wellness. This may further exacerbate the intense mental and physical impact of the palliative journey. As a result, NPs’ attention and skills are not just directed toward managing patients’ physical symptoms, but also tending to their mental wellness needs.

This can begin with something as simple as regularly checking in with patients about their emotions, thoughts, and concerns. The empathy and compassion NPs bring to their roles can be vital in establishing meaningful connections and trust bonds that encourage patients to share their feelings. In some cases, NPs might act as a bridge between patients and the most relevant resources, such as therapists specializing in terminal illness care. However, with additional training, NPs can also offer therapeutic activities such as guided meditation.

That said, it’s equally important to recognize that NPs’ own mental states can impact their patients. There’s no denying that providing palliative care can be emotionally and psychologically turbulent at times, particularly given the empathetic bonds they forge with patients. If NPs’ mental wellness begins to suffer, this is not only detrimental to their own quality of life but may also impact the quality of the care they provide. It is, therefore, a key part of an NP’s responsibility to take steps to safeguard their wellness. This could include adopting self-care routines and perhaps regularly speaking to therapists about their experiences and feelings.

Streamlining Care Processes

Being able to provide patients with the most thorough and compassionate attention is an important part of being an NP in palliative care. Unfortunately, this can be quite difficult when there are various other tasks to attend to. As a result, one of the ways NPs are most effective is in establishing the most efficient approaches to the tasks that surround the palliative journey.

This may involve regular assessments of medical and administrative practices. Continuously evaluating and improving processes has a variety of benefits. It helps to highlight where there may be unnecessarily repetitive or menial actions that result in inefficiencies. It can also reveal where new technology and automated software tools might offer opportunities to streamline workflows. Not to mention that this type of frequent evaluation is a great way to ensure that NPs are both continuing to meet patients’ needs while maintaining regulatory compliance.

It’s not just NPs themselves that are key to streamlining care processes. Care collaborators, patients, and families can provide useful insights here. Each of these parties has different perspectives on the services provided and what may be influencing bottlenecks or disruptions. NPs lead the charge of carefully gathering and assessing data from these individuals and reviewing what they can adjust accordingly. In essence, this is another way in which NPs facilitate care collaborations that positively impact patients’ quality of life during the palliative journey.

Conclusion

The role of NPs in palliative care involves various medical and administrative duties. However, each of these components, alongside intense empathy and compassion, is geared toward ensuring the most patient-centric approach to care. Throughout each step of making care plans, streamlining processes, and supporting mental wellness, there’s a common thread of striving to offer guidance, comfort, and expertise for this difficult part of life. It’s not an easy career path, but with careful consideration and a strong sense of emotional intelligence, it can certainly be a rewarding one.

Image by Freepik

Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in lifestyle, mental health, activism-related content. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter. 

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Pros and Cons of Being an FNP in a Rural Community

Choosing to work in healthcare is a smart career choice. The demand for these services continues to grow as the population ages. Plus, the work can be extremely fulfilling!

Nurse practitioners in particular are becoming a bigger part of the healthcare field, filling in care gaps and helping to improve preventative care. As a nurse practitioner, you can offer a lot of versatility to group practices, hospitals, or communities as an independent practitioner (depending on your state’s laws).

Once you’ve become a family nurse practitioner, you have to consider your options. Would it be better to get a job in an urban environment, where you’ll be one of many NPs working to keep the community healthy? Or would you thrive in a rural community, providing local care to a smaller population?

Here are some of the pros and cons of choosing to work as an FNP in a rural community.

The Demand for Healthcare Providers is Strong in Rural Areas

Many rural communities do not have good local healthcare options. This means that residents have to travel long distances to get the care they need. Ultimately, the lack of local services can lead to poorer health outcomes since people are likely to put off getting the care they need or do not have the resources to travel for their care. When community health services become available, everyone benefits.

It can be hard to attract qualified healthcare providers to rural communities. Why? Because most people prefer to live closer to urban centers and all the amenities they offer. This means that there are more opportunities and demand in rural areas, despite the smaller population numbers.

NPs Have More Autonomy and Scope of Practice

As long as you’re practicing in a state that allows FNPs to have lots of autonomy, you’ll be able to utilize that autonomy more fully in a rural healthcare job. With fewer healthcare providers available, everyone needs to provide a wide range of services with little supervision. FNPs who enjoy a large scope of practice and working independently are likely to thrive in a rural practice.

It’s Easy to Make a Difference and Build Relationships

In a rural community, you’ll really get to know your patients. You’ll have the opportunity to build relationships with them and get to know them. It’s also easier to see the difference you make in people’s lives. As a healthcare provider, you’ll get the chance to help reduce the health disparities that affect rural residents.

Being part of a rural community and providing care can be an incredible experience. Instead of working with thousands of patients and getting to know very few of them, you’ll be working directly within your community and providing care to your neighbors.

Resources and Collaborations Will Be Limited in Rural Practice

One of the downsides of rural practice is the lack of resources. A small hospital or practice won’t have the budget for the latest technology or the patient volume to support certain types of equipment. This can be a challenge and creates barriers to providing top-notch care.

Supplies and technology aside, you won’t have access to the same collaborative environment as a rural FNP as you would in an urban or suburban area. It will be more challenging to work through tricky diagnoses or collaborate on complex treatment plans without a network of specialists nearby.

In some cases, rural FNPs have to refer their patients to specialists that practice in far-off cities. This can be difficult emotionally, especially if you know that someone does not have the means to travel so far and see an expensive specialist.

Rural Living Can Be Isolating

Many people who take a job in rural healthcare settings struggle with the transition. It can be very isolating to live in sparsely populated areas. FNPs who decide to work in a rural community need to be proactive with self-care and making friends to fight off the potential for loneliness and isolation.

The Challenge of Maintaining Professional Boundaries

Rural communities are small and often have to rely on one another in many different ways. While that can be a huge positive for community-minded people, there are some downsides when it comes to privacy.

In a small town or rural community, everyone is likely to know your business. It can be difficult to maintain your privacy and professional boundaries when it’s normal in your community to gossip about your neighbors.

Embracing the Rewards and Challenges of FNP Work in Rural America

If you want to make a difference as a healthcare provider and work more independently, then becoming an FNP in a rural community could be a great fit. Embracing the rewards and challenges of healthcare in these settings can be a great way to grow as a healthcare provider while embracing a simpler life.

However, it’s important to consider your preferences and personality in making the decision. Weigh the pros and cons and be honest with yourself about whether life in the country or the wilderness is right for you before you decide.

With a Bachelor’s in Health Science along with an MBA, Sarah Daren has a wealth of knowledge within both the health and business sectors. Her expertise in scaling and identifying ways tech can improve the lives of others has led Sarah to be a consultant for a number of startup businesses, most prominently in the wellness industry, wearable technology and health education. She implements her health knowledge into every aspect of her life with a focus on making America a healthier and safer place for future generations to come.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Future of Healthcare: Why Nurse Practitioners are Poised to Play a Major Role

Healthcare in the United States has been in a rough spot for— well…quite some time. Covid certainly didn’t invent the struggles of Western healthcare but it did intensify them. Hospitals all across the country are suffering from dangerous personnel shortages that have made it challenging to deliver even basic levels of care to certain communities.

It’s a bad situation. But while the number of nurses shrinks, nurse practitioners have been growing enormously in prominence.

In this article, we talk about what nurse practitioners do, and how they are poised to shape the future of healthcare.

Nurse Practitioners Declutter the Healthcare System

One of the healthcare system’s greatest problems in the United States—

That’s a long list, friend.

Fair enough, one of the many problems is that hospitals have more patients than they do people who are qualified to see them. Nurse practitioners can help to relieve some of that burden by providing much of the same care that doctors have traditionally offered.

There are limitations to the extent that this is allowable. Many of these regulations are regional. For example, some states require nurse practitioners to get a doctor to sign off on all of their determinations, which can nullify the time-saving benefits.

However, in states with more permissive laws, this can be an enormous boon. Keep in mind that it takes a lot less time for someone to become a nurse practitioner than it does for someone to become an MD. This means that it is much easier for hospitals to staff up on nurse practitioners.

NPs can work on a wide range of different floors, from neonatal to maternal, allowing hospitals to declutter, and patients to get better quicker care. Fewer patient bottlenecks is better for everyone.

NPs in Private Practice

One of the big appeals of becoming a nurse practitioner is that it can allow you to effectively open up your own practice. Like so many things concerning the life of an NP, this will depend on where you live. However, in many states, nurse practitioners can make diagnoses and prescribe medication just like a general practitioner.

Sometimes, an NP’s ability to do this will be contingent on how long they have been practicing. Other times, it’s simply a matter of getting licensed and setting up a practice.

This is great for patients because it gives them more opportunities to receive care. Many people, particularly those living in areas with limited access to healthcare professionals, are finding that they have to wait more than a year to get a wellness visit.

This is a frustrating, sometimes even dangerous dynamic that more nurse practitioners could help solve.

If you are interested in becoming a nurse practitioner in the hopes of setting up your own practice, do some research about your local laws before you get too far in the process.

It is a Good Option for Burnt-out Nurses

You can’t seem to turn on the news without hearing more about the ongoing healthcare crisis that is taking place in the United States. Since Covid-19 hit it seems that hospitals everywhere have been dangerously understaffed.

This was brought to renewed attention a few months ago when a nurse working in Washington made national headlines for dialing 911 after her hospital reached a breaking point and had too few employees to treat their current patient load.

While that episode was dramatic, it was far from unique. Hospitals everywhere have been overwhelmed by the recent nursing shortage. While it is tempting to lay this crisis at Covid’s feet, the truth is that it has been a long time coming.

For years, experts have been warning about this. The problem? Many people have been leaving nursing, and not enough are coming up to replace them.

The culprit is burnout. Nursing is hard, so people look for different jobs. The healthcare industry, and all the people that it serves suffer as a result.

To become a nurse practitioner is to pivot into a similar, but perhaps more comfortable gig. NPs make more money, work friendlier hours, and get to work with patients on an entirely different scale.

In an industry that is in desperate need of personnel retention, more NPs would be an enormous boon with truly transformative potential.

Where are We At Now?

It sounds like more nurse practitioners would be a great thing for this country. And that’s all well and good, but it doesn’t really matter if we don’t have them, does it? Where are we at now?

That’s a good question. While it wouldn’t be right to say that the United States healthcare system’s need for nurse practitioners is being met, it is fair to say that the profession’s growth rate is in promising shape.

Between 2012-2022 the number of nurse practitioners nationwide grew by a whopping 30%—more than three times the national average for professional growth.

That’s an impressive figure by any metric, and all the more notable when compared to the numbers for regular nurses. RNs are expected to grow by only 6% in the next ten years.

It’s hard to contextualize exactly what this means for the American healthcare system. On the one hand, more nurse practitioners are great. This is definitely a “the more the merrier,” type of situation.

That said, we do still need bedside nurses, and that job market is still in questionable condition. It seems that no matter what happens, the US healthcare system will look different ten years from now than it does today.

A healthy stock of nurse practitioners won’t be able to solve all of our problems, but they certainly will help the transition into a brighter future.

With a Bachelor’s in Health Science along with an MBA, Sarah Daren has a wealth of knowledge within both the health and business sectors. Her expertise in scaling and identifying ways tech can improve the lives of others has led Sarah to be a consultant for a number of startup businesses, most prominently in the wellness industry, wearable technology and health education. She implements her health knowledge into every aspect of her life with a focus on making America a healthier and safer place for future generations to come.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

15 Holiday Wish List Must-Haves for Advanced Practitioners

No matter what you find yourself celebrating this December, here are 15 things advanced practitioners should add to their holiday wish lists.

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Solstice, or just the end of 2020—no matter what you find yourself celebrating this December, here are 15 things advanced practitioners should add to their holiday wish lists. Or just snag for themselves, because everyone deserves a treat every now and then—especially this year. From ultra-practical antimicrobial scrubs to a fancy coffee maker to help fuel you when you are at your most exhausted, there is something for everyone on this list.

1. The Gift of Mental Wellness via a TalkSpace Gift Card, $79.00+

2. This Light Blocking Sleep Mask to Help You Recharge, Day or Night, $12.99

3. A UV Light Phone Sanitizer, Because Germs, $119.95

4. Some PPE (Because Can You Really Have Enough PPE?), $79.00

5. This Fancy Coffee Maker, $199.99

6. And an Insulated Cup to Keep Your Fancy Coffee Piping Hot, $34.99

7. Some Extra Cozy Antimicrobial Scrub Pants

Women’s, $32.98+

Men’s, $37.98+

9. A Trusty Stethoscope, $98.99+

10. This Insanely Useful Thing That Makes Cooking a Breeze, Even after Your Longest Day, $59.98+

11. Some Stress Relief In A Jar, $15.18

12. A Neck/Back/Shoulder/Everywhere Else That Hurts Deep Tissue Massager, $39.99

13. TLC for Your Hands after Washing Them Vigorously All Year Long, $14.99

14. An Efficient (But Effective) Gratitude Journal, $22.90

15. This Cute & Comfy T-shirt, $14.90+

Please note: HealthJobsNationwide.com receives no compensation for recommending these items and makes no warranties regarding their safety. Items listed above should be evaluated individually for potential risks and hazards.

3 States with the Most Demand for Advanced Practitioners

With healthcare hiring rebounding, where is the demand for NPs, PAs, and CRNAs the greatest? Here are the top three states for these advanced practitioners.

The healthcare workforce, like nearly every other industry, was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing staggering job losses as the virus, and the economic fallout associated with it, swept across the nation. However, advanced practitioners are essential in a way that most other professions are not at the moment, and hiring remains steady, with the healthcare industry adding back more than 250,000 jobs during July, August, and September.

Where is the demand for NPs, PAs, and CRNAs the greatest, though? We analyzed data from our jobs website to determine what states currently have the highest inventory of openings. Here are the top three states where NPs, PAs, and CRNAs are needed most.

States with the Most Demand for Nurse Practitioners

1. New York

Average Annual Nurse Practitioner Salary in New York: $122,550

Noteworthy Openings in New York:

Click Here to Search Nurse Practitioner Jobs in New York →

2. California

Average Annual Nurse Practitioner Salary in California: $138,660

Noteworthy Openings in California:

Click Here to Search Nurse Practitioner Jobs in California →

3. Connecticut

Average Annual Nurse Practitioner Salary in Connecticut: $115,140

Noteworthy Openings in Connecticut:

Click Here to Search Nurse Practitioner Jobs in Connecticut →

States with the Most Demand for Physician Assistants

1. Pennsylvania

Average Annual Physician Assistant Salary in Pennsylvania: $102,620

Noteworthy Openings in Pennsylvania:

Click Here to Search Physician Assistant Jobs in Pennsylvania →

2. Connecticut

Average Annual Physician Assistant Salary in Connecticut: $137,060

Noteworthy Openings in Connecticut:

Click Here to Search Physician Assistant Jobs in Connecticut →

3. New York

Average Annual Physician Assistant Salary in New York: $123,080

Noteworthy Openings in New York:

Click Here to Search Physician Assistant Jobs in New York →

States with the Most Demand for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists

1. Texas

Average Annual CRNA Salary in Texas: $167,020

Noteworthy Openings in Texas:

Click Here to Search CRNA Jobs in Texas →

2. Florida

Average Annual CRNA Salary in Florida: $160,030

Noteworthy Openings in Florida:

Click Here to Search CRNA Jobs in Florida →

3. Virginia

Average Annual CRNA Salary in Virginia: $180,120

Noteworthy Openings in Virginia:

Click Here to Search CRNA Jobs in Virginia →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Our Top 5 Advanced Practice Articles of 2019

As the year comes to a close, we thought it would be a good time to take a look back on our most popular advanced practice articles of 2019. Read them here.

As 2019 comes to a close, we thought it would be a good time to look back at our most popular articles of 2019. Given they all racked up a good amount of views, there’s a chance you might’ve seen some of them before. However, take a look at the list below for our top five most popular blogs, in case you missed some of these great reads the first time around.

1. How Much PAs and NPs Make in Every State


How much do PAs and NPs make across the U.S.? We found out. How does your salary stack up against the average?
Read More →

2. How to Cope When You Hate Your Job


Working in healthcare is just plain hard. So, how do you cope if and when your passion for it seems gone? Here are some things to try.
Read More →

3. Yet Another Physician Speaks Out Against PAs, NPs


As the physician shortage worsens, there is no shortage of physicians speaking out against the idea of PAs and NPs being comparable substitutes.
Read More →

4. Female PAs Still Paid Less than Male PAs


Female PAs earn $.91 to every dollar male PAs earn according to the newly released findings from the AAPA’s annual salary survey.
Read More →

5. 5 Reasons to Give Travel Positions a Try


For those with a sense of adventure, travel positions need no other selling point. If you don’t have a natural love of travel, though, here are five other reasons to consider travel assignments.
Read More →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

AAPA Leaders Welcome German Minister of Health at Bellevue in New York

Last month, the President and Chair of AAPA’s Board of Directors, Dave Mittman, sat down with the German Minister of Health and the founder of the German PA profession to showcase the PA profession.

By Dave Mittman, PA, DFAAPA, President and Chair of AAPA’s Board of Directors

Nothing makes me prouder than showing off the PA profession, especially to folks visiting the U.S. from other countries. While PA practice varies from nation to nation, we all have common interests including a passion for providing the very best healthcare to people who need it.

On Thursday, November 21, AAPA Past-President Jonathan E. Sobel, DMSc, MBA, PA-C, DFAAPA, FAPACVS, and I had the privilege of representing AAPA at a unique gathering at Bellevue Hospital in New York.

There, with PAs who work at Bellevue, we hosted Dr. Marcus Hoffman, MD, founder of the German PA profession, and Dr. Heiner Garg, Minister of Social Affairs, Health, Youth, Family and Senior Citizens of the Land of Schleswig-Holstein – one of Germany’s 16 states.

Both came to see for themselves the fine work PAs do at Bellevue Hospital, one of the oldest and most famous public hospitals in the U.S. After a tour of the Emergency Department and ICU floor, a number of PAs shared their professional stories during a roundtable, providing color to the diverse experiences PAs have here in the U.S.

A personal highlight for me was when the medical director of Bellevue Hospital called PAs “the scaffolding that holds up our hospital.”

We thank Bellevue and their excellent staff for their gracious hospitality, as well as David Lizotte, PA-C, FAPACVS, who worked to put the meeting together and plan the visit.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

10 Things to Put on Your Holiday Wish List as a PA or NP

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa—no matter what you celebrate this holiday season, here is a list of ten awesome items to put on your wish list as a PA or NP.

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa—no matter what you celebrate this holiday season, here is a list of ten awesome items to put on your wish list as a PA or NP. From ultra-practical shoes to adorable bandage badge reels, there is something for everyone.

3M Littmann Classic III Monitoring Stethoscope
Easily one of the most trusted tools you can have in your arsenal.
Rating: 4.7 out of 5
Promising Review: “On the recommendation of a Doc that I work with, I ordered this stethoscope and WOW!! I’m so impressed with the Classic III’s acoustic sensitivity. I get the clearest heart, lung and bowel sounds without any of the light vs firm pressure nonsense of the Lightweight S.E.”

CHEROKEE Infinity Mid Rise Tapered Leg Jogger Pant
Is there anything better than a super comfortable pair of scrubs? We don’t think so.
Rating: 4.4 out of 5
Promising Review: “IN LOVE with these jogger scrubs. They are very comfortable and I love the material. Nothing sticks to it (including my dog’s hair). I’ve gotten so many compliments with these scrubs.”

Before Patients, After Patients 11 oz Coffee Mug and 15 oz Stemless Wine Glass Set
Because patients. Fuel up and wind down with this mug and wine glass combo.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Promising Review: “A bit of humor a whole lot of truth. I am a retired RN and I certainly would have loved receiving this as a gift.”

Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System, Auto-iQ Tea and Coffee Maker
So you’ll have something to put in your “Before Patients” mug.
Rating: 4.6 out of 5
Promising Review: “I love this machine so much! It is easy to use; looks nice sitting on my counter; and makes a great cup of coffee. I like that I can easily make a large pot of coffee or just one cup. Plus I can make almost any type of coffee there is!”

PhoneSoap 3 UV Smartphone Sanitizer & Universal Charger
Because germs are everywhere when you work in healthcare.
Rating: 4.4 out of 5
Promising Review: “Bought this along with a set of agar plates to test it for ourselves. We swabbed my daughter’s and husband’s phones before and after use. It does work. We are very happy with the product.”

Bandage Badge Reel
I mean, come on. Could they get any cuter?
Rating: 4.7 out of 5
Promising Review: “These are SO CUTE and my patients absolutely love them. My co-workers love them too. 10/10 recommend to anyone.”

A Simpler Time Nurse Practitioner Wood Sign with Personalized Nameboard
Perfect for any NP run practice.
Rating: 4.7 out of 5
Promising Review: “The MOST beautiful piece of work! The name is not only printed, but etched into the wood. The subtle elegant details are breathtaking. The way that the sign looks incredibly professional, yet shows a little humor, is a perfect compliment in our office. I cannot recommend this piece enough!”

The One-Minute Gratitude Journal
Cultivate an attitude of gratitude in just one minute a day.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Promising Review: “Absolutely love this. It is simple and straightforward, with the same prompt for each day. It allows you to write in the day & date of each entry and also has blank pages for brain dumping or doodling. Highly recommend this to anyone who seeks gratitude for the little and big things alike.”

Dansko Women’s Professional Mule
Comfortable and durable shoes are an absolute must-have.
Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Promising Review: “I have resisted the traditional “nurse shoe” for a long time, but I have come to realize there is a reason so many of my nurse and physician cohorts have chosen this shoe. Time (and body fluids) will tell how well they hold up. Just wearing them around the house, I can feel a definite difference in support. The platform will take a little getting used to.”

My Quotable Patients – The Funniest Things Patients Say: A Journal
Hopefully, one day, you’ll look back on every hilarious thing a patient has said and smile.
Rating: 4.8 out of 5
Promising Review: “Bought as a gift for my husband’s cousin who graduated nursing school. I think this is a super cute book for those memorable patients who are the reason why they chose to go in this career.”

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This Year, Advanced Practitioners Are Thankful For…

We asked and you answered: what has your career in healthcare made you most thankful for? Here are ten of our favorite responses.

We asked and you answered: what has your career in healthcare made you most thankful for? We received a lot of great responses—some heartwarming, some hilarious, all valid reasons to be grateful—and we picked our top ten favorite answers to feature this week. Here they are.

This job isn’t always easy, but to know that I have been able to change lives for the better will always be something I will be thankful for. —Valerie P.

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I am grateful for my colleagues for keeping me sane and constantly pushing me to do better. —Erika B.

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I am proud to be an NP and help change and shape what healthcare looks like in my community and across the country. I’m definitely grateful for that. —Ariel L.

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I’m continually learning in my job and I’m thankful for that. It’s never boring and it always keeps me on my toes. —Katherine H.

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This year and every year, I am grateful to do what I love, alongside people I respect and admire, and that I get to enjoy every day at my job, even the hard ones. —Courtney K.

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My job is never boring and I’m grateful for that. Even if it seems like it would be nice to be bored sometimes. It sure beats the alternative. —Coral C.

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I’m grateful for the bonds I’ve been able to form with the people I work with and my longtime patients. —Michael R.

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I’ve seen patients in some truly bad spots in life. I’m grateful to have been able to help them go on to lead better, healthier lives. That’s rewarding as hell. —Paula P.

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I took on my first travel assignment this year and I’m so thankful I did. What a blessing that has been. So glad I chose a profession that lets me do this. —Jordan C.

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Let’s be honest here: I’m thankful for my salary. —Jamie P.

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No matter what you are thankful for this year, we are thankful for you and all you do. Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.