B.J. Vascik standing in front of a screen with an "Orthopedic Telemedicine Assessment for the Primary Care Provider" presentation.
B.J. Vascik is an orthopedic physician assistant with the Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN-4 Western Market V-Consult. He provides care at the Washington and Butler, PA and Belmont, OH, clinics and also provides telehealth assessments for the Pittsburgh VA. Vascik graduated from Pitt’s online Doctor of PA Studies (DPAS) program in spring 2023. Here, he shares how the program has helped him elevate his health care management and research skills to improve his and his colleagues’ place of practice.
Q: Why did you choose Pitt’s DPAS program?
A: I chose the program because of the flexibility it gave me with its online curriculum. The faculty provide the schedule of the courses and assignments well in advance, which gives you the opportunity to work at your own pace for completion of the assignments. Additionally, I was somewhat familiar with the backgrounds of the faculty after working for UPMC for a number of years and their reputation was stellar. I had no doubt I was learning from quality clinicians!
Q: What did you like most about the program?
A: The self-pacing was extremely helpful. I worked ahead whenever possible, so I was able to get all my work done early each week. Then I could enjoy the rest of my week! The faculty were also very responsive to any concerns my cohort presented and made reasonable changes as needed. The first two semesters were a little challenging for me with a new job, a newborn and my father unexpectedly passing away, but the faculty were very understanding of my situation.
B.J. Vascik with his wife and daughter.
Q. Describe your capstone project and why you chose your particular topic?
A: Many of my colleagues, as well as myself, had no experience with telemedicine prior to starting at the VA and had preconceived notions that a thorough examination was not possible to conduct remotely. I ultimately selected to create an online curriculum designed to instruct my colleagues on the proper technique and strategy in conducting telemedicine visits for the Orthopedic Department. Through my research, I was able to develop techniques to pass along to my colleagues and enhance my own practice. At the time, I was scheduled to have two clinical days devoted to telemedicine. Again, I really think my project and research helped hone my skills to properly conduct thorough virtual orthopedic assessments.
I currently run a weekly video and telephone telemedicine clinic for Pittsburgh VA orthopedics. I presented this curriculum at the Department of Veterans Affairs Physician Assistant Annual Conference with the goal of educating primary care providers, who may not have the knowledge/skills to translate a hands-on orthopedic assessment in the virtual setting.
Q: Would you recommend Pitt’s DPAS program to your colleagues?
A: I would recommend this program to any of my colleagues who are interested in progressing in their career as a physician assistant. We are extremely underrepresented in the management sector of health care. Traditionally, this was due to lack of education in this setting. Management, business and research are impossible to add into an already crowded physician assistant curriculum. We were never taught about personality management between coworkers, techniques about motivating our colleagues or how to effectively conduct quality improvement projects. Adding this credential to our resume will help open many doors to continue the growth of this profession. The tools that we learned will make sure that this growth continues for our colleagues.
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