MD vs PA

[NovaCat]

A waiver has been requested for DS's skin condition. He has seen the PA (Physician Assistant) at the Dermatologists office in the past. I called the office about obtaining the information outlined in the waiver request and they would like to see him again before they provide the write up- which makes sense. Should I request that he been seen by the MD vs the PA? Does it matter if the written documentation comes from the MD vs the PA?

 

[AROTC-dad]

According to AR40-501 Standards of Medical Fitness (2007), Section 8-13 Report of Medical history forms, it states "The physician (or physician assistant, or nurse practitioner) will summarize and elaborate upon the examinee's medical history,..."

I am not a physician or health professional, but I read that to infer that DoDMERB treats the PA notes the same as an MD or NP.

Hopefully someone else can chime in on this.

Source:
https://books.google.com/books?id=XfaTCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA90&lpg=PA90&dq=Physician+Assistant+notes+for+Dodmerb?&source=bl&ots=9uXi1y5Za8&sig=ACfU3U0Xup9ZLdKD-8lQWdYz-OnEVdU6PQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjymMXakJLlAhVKh-AKHUc3ApEQ6AEwGHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=Physician%20Assistant%20notes%20for%20Dodmerb%3F&f=false

 

[usna1985]

If possible, I would try to see the MD and get him/her to complete the form. I have tremendous respect for NPs and PAs. That said, I would expect that the views of an MD would carry more weight with DODMERB and the SAs/ROTC programs.

 

[Heatherg21]

Having just gone through DODMERB with our DS, I would lean towards MD. No offense to PA's out there, but leave nothing to chance in this process. We saw an MD, and they made errors on report that then had to be cleared up, so even with an MD there are and can be challenges. Good luck to your DS.

 

[GoCubbies]

A waiver has been requested for DS's skin condition. He has seen the PA (Physician Assistant) at the Dermatologists office in the past. I called the office about obtaining the information outlined in the waiver request and they would like to see him again before they provide the write up- which makes sense. Should I request that he been seen by the MD vs the PA? Does it matter if the written documentation comes from the MD vs the PA?

From a military medicine perspective, it doesn’t matter between a physician and a PA- for the most part. There are a few things a PA cannot do like some services limit the duration and type of a profile they can write. The Army doesn’t allow PAs to be the deciding factor in qualifying and disqualifying a flight physical. PAs can do and submit them, but the reviewing medical officer at Ft Rucker is always a physician. Just another example.

When submitting a note from a dermatologist, example, and it describes your condition, treatment, etc... it won’t matter if it’s a PA. Heck, that PA probably knows more about dermatological conditions than the actual waiver reviewer based on working in that setting the past several years.