[Mom MD]

so far it goes on my malpractice insurance.....

[Oorang]

I do not like this news. I recently changed doctors (prior was retiring) and when making the initial appointment I specifically asked "am I going to see the doctor or a NP/PA".

A few years back I was sitting in a clinic, waiting to see my MD, and a PA was running around, frantic, looking for his cell phone, quite the drama queen. You could tell the front desk staff did not care for him. Out of curiosity when I got home I looked up his credentials and found out his degree was in...art history. This qualified him to become a PA? Yikes.

Had a good friend who for two years told the PA (he never - not once - saw the MD) that he had stomach/gut pain that over time was getting worse. The PA's standard response was "lose weight". Yes he needed to lose weight and yes, IMO, he needed to see a real doctor. The PA never suggested tests of any sort. The friend died two years later of colon cancer.