Journal of American Academy of Physician Assistants

Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines - An Update
Shami, Sarah DMSc, MSPAS, PA-C; Coombs, Jennifer PhD, PA-C, MPAS

Abstract

Cervical cancer screening practices in the United States have been inefficient, with variable screening rates. Some women are screened too frequently, overmanaged, lost to follow-up, or are at risk and should be screened but are not. Timely screening, identification, and management of abnormal cervical cells is vital in order to prevent progression to cervical cancer. Educating, counseling, screening, and offering the human papillomavirus vaccine continue to be the primary methods of cervical cancer prevention practices. Guidelines and primary screening methods have been updated because of supporting evidence, and clinicians must stay up-to-date in order to provide effective patient care.

Read more.

Women's Health In Focus at NIH Quarterly: Gynecological Cancer Research

This issue of In Focus features NIH’s research efforts to improve the understanding, screening, prevention, and treatment of cervical, endometrial, ovarian, and other gynecological cancers. Unfortunately, gynecological malignancies often become “the forgotten women’s cancers,” perhaps because breast cancers affect more women in the United States. Nonetheless, gynecological cancers constitute important concerns for public health. 

Read more.

PAs: Obstetrics and Gynecology Needs You!

PAs Work in all Primary Care, Specialty, and Subspecialty Areas

By Melissa Rodriguez, DMSc, PA-C

Melissa Rodriguez, DMSc, PA-C, president of the Association of Physician Assistants in OB-GYN, responds to questions regarding PA practice in obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN).

Q: Do PAs practice in OB-GYN?
A: Yes, we do—currently, fewer than 2% of all PAs practice in the field of OB-GYN and its subspecialties. PAs also practice women’s health in other specialties such as family medicine.

Q: Are PAs adequately trained to practice in OB-GYN?
A: Absolutely! PA training provides a generalist foundation for their students, which includes mandatory training in obstetrics and gynecology. PA students take more than 75 hours in pharmacology, 175 hours in behavioral sciences, more than 400 hours in basic sciences, and 580 hours in clinical medicine. Training specific to OB-GYN includes hours of didactic training in benign and complex topics of women’s health; clinical lab experience with live models, simulation, and breast and pelvic trainers; and on average, 162 hours of hands-on clinical experience during the women’s health rotation. Most clinical rotation sites provide opportunities to participate in vaginal deliveries, cesarean sections, and gynecological surgeries. Understandably, there is a shortage in OB-GYN rotation sites which means that not all experiences are complete. The need for PAs in OB-GYN has exacerbated this lack of preceptors for PA students, and the competition with medical students and nursing students is intense.

Read more.

APAOG proudly provides this infographic as a conversation starter with healthcare leadership. We want to showcase our education and abilities in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology. We encourage you to make connections and share our stories. Our grassroots effort is what will make the difference in numbers. 

Click here to view and save the infographic!

The sexual health certificate program will expand the Emory University’s campus-wide initiative “One Emory: Engaged for Impact” as Emory is recognized around the world as a leading research university that fosters excellence and attracts world-class talent to innovate today and prepare leaders for the future. This program will expand the University’s teaching and research base by integrating a focus on health, sexual health, law, ethics, wellness, social and economic development, as well as targeting groups of individuals who are working and caring for marginalized communities.

Read more.

Thank you for being a valued member of the Association of Physician Assistants in Obstetrics and Gynecology. It is important to the APAOG Leadership to collect feedback from our members to evaluate and improve APAOG membership and continue to offer many benefits to our members.

Please watch your email for the member survey link and take 2-3 minutes to provide feedback in the Annual Membership Survey.

Your feedback is important! Thank you.

PAEA | Grassroots Action Network

On May 25, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted unanimously to advance the Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services (MOMS) Act to the full Senate for consideration. This bipartisan, PAEA-endorsed bill seeks to holistically improve access to obstetrics care in rural areas by supporting training opportunities in underserved settings, among other provisions. We are asking for your help to ensure that this bill is prioritized for consideration on the Senate floor.

If enacted, the Rural MOMS Act would authorize $5 million annually through fiscal year 2025 to support OB/GYN clinical rotations for PA and other health professions students in rural areas with the ultimate aim of creating a sustained pipeline of graduates to these settings. According to PAEA’s most recent Rapid Response Report, more than 73% of PA programs are reporting that it is now either harder or much harder to secure women’s health/gynecology/obstetrics rotations than before the emergence of COVID-19, making this new investment particularly timely as PA education continues to recover from the pandemic.

Please contact your senators today and urge them to cosponsor and vote in favor of the Rural MOMS Act. As always, thank you for your advocacy and leadership on behalf of PA education.

Click here!

The Association of Physician Assistants in Obstetrics and Gynecology has opened up the Call for Nominations for the following open positions:

• Treasurer
• Director-At-Large
• Non-PA Board Member
• Student Representative
• Education Committee Chair

These volunteer-positions within the leadership of APAOG are very important! We have a support system in place to give new individuals a chance to succeed in these roles and help grow the mission of the organization. Click here for more information on deadlines and to access the nomination form.

UN WOMEN

The issue

One in three women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence mostly by an intimate partner. Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified.

This is the Shadow Pandemic growing amidst the COVID-19 crisis and we need a global collective effort to stop it. As COVID-19 cases continue to strain health services, essential services, such as domestic violence shelters and helplines, have reached capacity. More needs to be done to prioritize addressing violence against women in COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.

Everyone has a role to play.

UN Women is providing up-to-date information and supporting vital programmes to fight the Shadow Pandemic of violence against women during COVID-19.

Read more.

AAPA | Divya Williams

Nidhi Reva, MPH, PA-C, didn’t discover the PA profession until she was 20 years old. But ever since then, her passion for women’s health has driven her career and taken her role as a PA to new heights. From starting her own business to volunteering overseas, Reva has built her career on providing high quality care to expectant parents and underserved populations.

Discovering the PA profession
When Reva was in her undergraduate program at Michigan State University, she knew she loved science and caring for people, but she didn’t know where that would lead. During her senior year, she was in the hospital with a severe concussion after a car accident, and she heard a voice that she remembers to this day. “This voice was the most calming thing. She explained everything about what was going on and that my parents were on their way. She was wonderful, but I never saw her face or knew who it was.”

Two months later, when Reva went back to the hospital for a physical exam, a woman entered the examining room, and Reva immediately recognized her voice. This was the PA from the emergency room after Reva’s accident. “I told her that I was so scared and that she was the only person who walked me through things and reassured me. I was really grateful,” Reva says. “And then I was like, ‘What’s a PA?’ And that’s how I found out about the career, and once I did, that was it.”

Read more.