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Running Header: Ethnically Diverse PA and NP

Working with Ethnically Diverse PA's and NP's

Jonathan Bland

Working with Healthcare Professionals/ HSC4060 S01

South University

Professor Nelva Lee

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When physician assistants and nurse practitioners first start out working within
their respective fields of expertise they are not given much credit. The only credit they
are given is that they finished school. They must prove themselves and their worthiness
to the providers they are working for in that particular setting. Every provider has certain
ways they want patients treated, for example, particular types of antibiotics, certain
preference in sutures and the way sutures are put in patients. When a new NP or PA
starts they must accept that providers will carry towards these practices and make a few
mistakes not taking it to heart that the physician wants things done a certain way. This
can make some NP's and PA's to more stress than others have, depending on where
they are working. Stress can get to new providers just at the onslaught of new patients
or the sheer number of patients they may to see in one day to make their new bosses
happy. Add in some ethnically diverse NP and PA's and the headaches really begin for
everyone. This is saying that NP's and PA's who are ethnically diverse get more stress
because they have to add in a language barrier that most NP's and PA's do not have to
take in to account for can be really a problem.
The challenge and the extra stress is not just the NP and PA's fault this can
come from the patients problems also. If a provider is seeing a patient that they know to
be difficult they will often have the new providers (NP and PA) see that patient just to
get them out of their hair, so to speak. Stress can be good at times and certainly bad if
there is an over indulgence. Easing new providers into the way the clinics are ran is the
best way to ease the stress a new provider has when they start at a new work place.
Setting up certain medication and protocols to follow for patients is another way to make
life easier on them.

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Ethnically diverse PA's and NP's are usually mastering their second language
when they start in the medical field in the United States. Outside the US and Canada,
NP's and PA's aren't really known about. The care that they can give, is often confused
with that of a doctor often times. They must learn a new culture and new language when
coming to America. New PA's and NP's often find that even being as high up as an NP
or PA doesn't give any more status on the social side of life, in many cultures doctors
aren't that big of a deal. This may come to a shock for some providers who have spent
years in school only to come here to the United States and not be identified as a
provider. This can cause some conflict in the work place. Since they see themselves as
much more even the littlest concerns can make them uncomfortable.
In the medical field everyone working knows that there is one doctor in-charge
over a patient for his/her care. When it comes to PA's and NP's as being that medical
person in-charge for that care it can cause undue stress and conflict when a situation
arises regarding that care. Nurse's, EMT's, Paramedics, respiratory technicians, and
everyone else in the medical field all know that someone is over a patient as far as their
healthcare. Sometimes the respect that NP and PA's over patients aren't always given.
It comes down to patients providers are given the respect that they deserve causing
less stress on the provider in troubling times the patient may be going through. Conflict
in the work place can be best handled by the interorganizational conflict. If there is
conflict within the organization as to what the job responsibilities are when it comes to
the patients of a PA or NP then employee's should be told that they are the overall
person in-charge of that persons care. This will solve many headaches when it comes
to patients and their care within organizations and the care they receive.

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Bibliography
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