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Virtual Rounds 2022 Program

Women's Health Track
Update on Gynecologic Screening 
Elyse Watkins, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, NCMP
 
Guidelines for gynecologic screening are constantly evolving. It is important for PAs to understand current recommendations and controversies regarding screening for breast cancer, sexually transmitted infections, and other diseases in the female population.

Women’s health expert, Elyse Watkins, aims to help PAs integrate these guidelines into their practices and better counsel their patients by:
  1. Describing the current recommendations regarding cervical and breast cancer screening
  2. Discussing the CDC-recommended guidelines on STI screening in females
  3. Delineating the recommendations on diabetes screening in reproductive-age females
Interpersonal Violence: Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Nonfatal Strangulation
Katherine Thompson, PA-C

Based on pending research conducted by AAPA, PAs nationwide feel that they see and interact with multiple survivors of interpersonal crimes on an everyday basis. However, they also identify gaps in education and knowledge that they feel would make them well-rounded and confident clinicians. This session will empower PAs to navigate the clinical decision-making associated with acute sexual assault and domestic violence, including being able to help a patient make decisions around prophylactic treatment, reporting to law enforcement, and obtaining adequate psychosocial resources.

Sole proprietor of IPV Educators, LLC, a company that specializes in dynamic curriculum development and implementation in interpersonal violence, PA Thompson will help participants:   
  1. Develop an understanding of the definition, subcategories, and epidemiology of domestic violence and sexual assault
  2. Investigate the detection and management of domestic violence, sexual assualt, and nonfatal strangulation in a clinical setting
  3. Comprehend and describe imaging recommendations, treatment and follow up recommendations for nonfatal strangulation
Addressing Female Sexuality
Christina Saldanha, PA-C, NCMP

The current medical education model places little focus on sexuality and sexual health. There is also a lack of awareness of how to discuss, educate, and treat female sexual concerns when brought up in clinical scenarios. With a stronger understanding of the biopsychosocial model, PAs will be able to create an effective treatment plan for sexual dysfunction and overall better support their female patients.

PA Saldanha’s objectives for this presentation are for participants to:
  1. Define and understand sexuality, sex, gender, sexual health, and other terms used to describe sexual function and dysfunction
  2. Appreciate some of the sex researchers that have shaped the current understanding of female sexuality, as well as the diversity among various sexual response models
  3. Undersand the important difference between spontaneous desire and response desire
  4. Utilize the Biopsychosocial Model to understand female sexual dysfunction and be able to apply this to patients when treating sexual dysfunction
  5. Have an awareness of non-pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical treatments for female sexual dysfunction
Beyond the Baby Blues: An Overview of Perinatal Mental Health
Viraj Parikh, PA-C

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD) are the number one complication of pregnancy and childbirth. Yet, they are under-recognized and under-treated. Providers who care for the perinatal population are not adequately trained to identify those at risk or provide the necessary care, education, and support these patients need.

Viraj Parikh, PA-C and co-founder of EmmaWell, an organization dedicated to the mental well-being of pregnant and postpartum patients, aims to:
  1. Define PMADs and describe their prevalence, risk factors, and causes
  2. Present the various types of PMADs, available treatment options, and resources for both providers and patients
  3. Show the gaps in perinatal mental healthcare and the critical role primary care providers can play 
Trauma-Informed Care: Developing a Clinical Practice
Katherine Thompson, PA-C

PAs are frequently on the front lines of medicine, occupying vital roles in emergency medicine, urgent care, trauma care, and primary care. Understanding the composition of a “difficult patient” and what might make that interaction easier is vital, both for the patient and the PA. Katherine Thompson’s presentation is designed to help PAs recognize when they might be dealing with a survivor of trauma and employ the basics of trauma-informed care and psychological first aid to provide comprehensive care to their patients.

In this session, participants will learn to:
  1. Define trauma-informed care 
  2. Develop a working understanding and confidence in utilizing trauma-informed care in clinical practice
  3. Comprehend how to apply trauma-informed care to multiple practice scenarios, including known and unknown trauma survivors