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In This Issue:
ED Physician Assistant Tara Regan, right, gets an update on a patient condition from Justine Keenan, RN, during a recent shift in the ED’s Observation Unit.
Just 20 minutes into her shift, Tara Regan knows she has a long, but rewarding day ahead of her.
During her 12-hour shift in the busy Emergency Department, the physician assistant will meet and assess an average of 16 to 20 patients, keep tabs on their labs and other test results, follow up with attending physicians on patients’ conditions and write discharge instructions.
“Multi-tasking is what makes my job challenging, but at the same time very rewarding,” said Regan, one of the seven physician assistants who rotate within the ED’s three units.
PAs have been working in the ED for five years, and Regan was among the first three PAs hired in the department. Today, the seven PAs in the ED continue to make a tremendous contribution by providing additional clinical staff to assess patients. Each PA sees an average of 2,500 patients a year in the ED alone.
Recently, as Regan started her shift in the ED Observation Unit, she spoke with nursing staff to get up-to-speed on patients’ conditions. She visited patients to assess their conditions and offered support by listening attentively to patients’ complaints, kindly reassuring them they would get the best care possible.
J. Stephen Bohan, MD, MS, vice chair of Emergency Medicine, who has overseen the PAs in the ED since the beginning, said Regan is a remarkable asset to the department.
“She removed any doubts about how this new breed of provider would play into the daily work in the ED, thereby setting the stage for the growth of the program,” Bohan said. “She’s a great clinician. She’s a hard worker, leads by example and is a great resource to her fellow PAs, while enjoying the unequivocal trust of the attending staff.”