National PA Week
Q&A With Physician Assistant Damaris Rosado
Damaris Rosado, M.S., PA-C, teaches medical students at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso’s Foster School of Medicine and treats patients at Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso's Endocrinology Clinic. In celebration of National Physician Assistant Week, she talks about her role as a physician assistant and how she uses her team-based medical care experience to train the next generation of health care providers.
Tell us about your experience. What did it take to become a physician assistant?
Physician assistants (PAs) are licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. There are nearly 159,000 physician assistants in the U.S., engaging in more than 500 million patient interactions each year.
I’m originally from El Paso and didn’t have much exposure to physician assistants because we don’t have a program here. Due to not having early exposure to physician assistants, it took me longer to realize this was what I wanted to do – but once I did, I explored different settings to have diverse experiences and ultimately become a more dynamic, versatile applicant and future PA. I took time to shadow physician assistants and other health care providers, drew blood in a research laboratory, and translated for patients in health care settings, among other things.
I received my bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Texas El Paso, and my Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, which took 30 months and about 2,000 clinical hours to complete. I’m also required to complete 100 hours of continuing medical education credits every two years and take the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam every 10 years.
What sets physician assistants apart from other health care professionals?
We take a holistic approach to patient care by focusing on patient-centered, team-based care. Every patient’s health care member needs to be considered in their care. PAs are also dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness. We’re trained in multiple specialties, which allows us to be dynamic, versatile health care providers who can help connect the dots on what may be missing in a patient’s care.
This type of care is particularly important in our region because we lack providers and are medically underserved. When a region is medically underserved, patient care can suffer if everyone is not working together to benefit the patient. By working together, we can get more done for a patient’s health.
How do you empower patients to take charge of their health?
As a PA who treats patients in an endocrinology clinic, I enjoy helping empower my patients to improve their diabetes care. Patients are also a vital part of the health care team; therefore, I encourage them to actively participate in their care. It takes communication, empathy, and including patients in plan creation to create an environment where a patient feels empowered, all which are vital to health care. I encourage other health care providers to ask their patients if a certain part of a patient’s care is difficult, then ask them why it’s difficult. Once we know the answer to these two questions, we can work with the patients to create a possible solution and plan together for their care, allowing them to be empowered and actively a part of the health care team.
What does a typical week look like for a physician assistant?
It depends on what setting they’re in. Most of the work I do is educating our medical students. My other role focuses on treating patients in our endocrinology clinic.
What is one of the most important things you teach your students?
I teach first- and second-year medical students. My favorite part of teaching students is TeamSTEPPS, an evidence-based set of teamwork tools to optimize patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork skills among health care professionals. Students from different health care professions work together on a patient’s care. During their encounters, they notice a breakdown in patient care when communication stops, emphasizing to them how vital communication is in effective medical care. I teach them that everyone can become a situational leader through this training. Everyone has information important to the care of the patient, and when they have that information, they need to share it with the team.
My students are interested in learning more about my experience and education. They’re intrigued by my knowledge as a physician assistant. I hope by them having a PA as one of their teachers, they will respect PAs as part of the health care team and work with PAs, at their greatest potential, to create a positive experience and a team-based approach to care that will ultimately benefit patients.
Do you have a particular patient or inspiring moment that confirmed this is what you want to do?
I’m lucky – there’s not just one moment, but many that inspire me. I’m honored every day that I’m so intimately involved with the health care of patients and the education of medical students. I know the work I’m doing will trickle down to the families of the patients, future patients that my medical students will treat, and doctors and other health care professionals through the medical students, and that team-based care will only increase.