Ms. Benita Hamilton

Hamilton, who is a Physician Assistant in the Bronx Lebanon Special Care Center in Bronx, NY, believes that in order to succeed in patient care, it is important for PAs to continue to ìband together and show just how effective and versatile [they] are.î According to Hamilton, ìMost PAs bring into their career a plethora of life experience and can offer an employer a truly versatile employee.In the future, PAs will probably have very strong roles in managed care decision making, as well as in administrative policies.î

Versatility, of course, is something Benita knows quite a bit about.Each day at the Special Care Center brings an ìexciting and rewarding challenge.î Hamilton describes the center as a skilled nursing facility with 240 residents.One-hundred and twenty of the beds are dedicated to HIV and AIDS patients, while the other half is dedicated to traditional nursing home patients and rehabilitative care.Hamilton works as a coverage provider at the seven-floor facility.When one of the MDs is absent, she fills in to provide medical care to the residents, giving her the opportunity to interact with all of the patients.

ìI am what is called a floater,î Hamilton says.ìI am the type of person who gets bored with one thing.My day is pretty much 9-5:30, but when I go in I never know whatís going to await me. On Mondays I may have the seventh floor, Thursdays the sixth floor, and on Fridays I may wind up on the second floor, et cetera.But there are days, however, when I am required to respond to three floors of residents.Sometimes,î she adds, laughing, ìit seems all you hear on the intercom is ëPA Hamilton, call this extension,í or ëPA Hamilton, call that extension.í So when I show up, the patients joke and say, ëOh, what a surprise!Itís PA Hamilton.íî

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Despite the numerous daily challenges, Hamilton maintains that the medical staff remains very attentive and is able to quickly address any complaint or change of status in the residents.ìIt makes for a relatively stable population,î Hamilton says.Describing the approach at the facility, she adds that the residents are always transferred to the main hospitalís emergency department whenever an emergency arises that is beyond the scope of care that the facility renders.Due to advanced Retro viral therapies, however, the facilityís rate of discharge to the community ìfar exceeds patient morbidity in the HIV/AIDS population,î Hamilton says.

Even as a little girl, Hamilton knew that she wanted to dedicate herself to patient care.Although there were no MDs or PAs in her family, she became quite familiar with the world of medicine.Her aunt, who Hamilton describes as having a ìseizure history,î went back and forth to the clinic many times over the years, and Hamilton often accompanied her on these trips.ìThere I was, seven or eight years old, and I would just say to myself, ëI belong here.I want to help people,î Hamilton reminisces.In high school and college, she kept her area of concentration in the sciences.After earning her B.S. in Biology at Fordham University in Bronx, NY, however, she married, had a family, and worked for New York Telephone as a customer representative for six years.ìI was helping people, but not to my fullest ability,î Hamilton says.It wasnít until 1994, when the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center Physician Assistant Program opened its doors to new students that Hamilton was able to fulfill her life-long goal of helping others in the medical field.NYNEX (now Bell Atlantic) offered an educational leave of absence along with full tuition reimbursement and, two years later, Hamilton was among the first twenty-four students to graduate from the Bronx Lebanon Physician Assistant program.

ìI was excited to be part of the brand new program and to fulfill my life-long goal of helping others,î Hamilton says.ìAnd now that Iíve finally made it, the challenge is to be the best I can be as both a person and as a professional.There are times when I just sit down and talk with the residents.A lot of them have psycho-social issues that need to be addressed, and, in some cases, I have to refer them to the counselors to keep my personal feelings from affecting my professional judgment.At the same time, however, I can still sit and listen and just let the residents know I care.It makes a difference.And I think it is one of the most rewarding things when I hear them say, ëMs.
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Hamilton, thank you so much for listening.í That in itself is truly rewarding.î

In fact, by filling in for some of the patientsí regular doctors, Hamilton has established an excellent rapport with many of the residents.ìWe do weekly assessments on the HIV floors,î Benita explains, ìand there was this one patient, whose doctor was on vacation, that showed some reluctance about letting me take a look at him.When I told him I was there for his weekly check-up, he said, ëCheck-up?For what?í So I explained to him that his doctor was not here and that I wanted to give him a brief evaluation, just to see how things were going.And although he gave me a hard time for a while, he eventually let me examine him.The nice thing was, later that day, he pulled his wheelchair up to me, pulled aside an empty chair, and said, ìHave a seat, Ms. Hamilton.I want to talk to you.í From that point on we continued to have a wonderful patient/practitioner relationship.î

Through the patient education series, Hamilton is able to reach even more residents.She has given lectures on a variety of topics and issues, ranging from general medicine to HIV, often keeping the talks as friendly and personal as a one-on-one consultation.During a lecture on dermatology for HIV patients, for instance, she pulled a chair up to the table and allowed the patients to page through a dermatological atlas.ìI donít like to stand in front of a blackboard and lecture,î she explains.ìInstead, I make it a practice to first sit down with the patients, find out what exactly they would like to talk about, then proceed.So when I opened that atlas, and the patients were able to see dermatological conditions with their own eyes, they were just fascinated and excited to be there.That was a really great lecture.î

In addition to the patient education lectures, Hamilton is also involved in various AIDS research projects and, along with the medical director, Dr. Thomas, is currently investigating late stage AIDS in the era of H.A.A.R.T. (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) regimens.
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ìI would love to teach someday,î Hamilton says.ìThat is also one of my goals.I would never want to give up my clinical experience because that is the crux of the matter, what I went to school for, and I am very excited to be a PA.But at the same time, with my love of others, I would like to help new PA students find the same opportunities and experiences that I have been lucky enough to have.î

Benita Hamilton earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University, Bronx, NY, in 1988, and her Physician Assistant Training Certificate from the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center Physician Assistant Program in 1996.She is currently working on a Master of Health Education and Promotion degree at CUNY- Lehman, Bronx, NY.

Hamilton , who is a Physician Assistant in the Bronx Lebanon Special Care Center in Bronx , NY , believes that in order to succeed in patient care , it is important for PAs to continue to band together and show just how effective and versatile [ they ] are. According to Hamilton , Most PAs bring into their career a plethora of life experience and can offer an employer a truly versatile employee.In the future , PAs will probably have very strong roles in managed care decision making , as well as in administrative policies..

Versatility , of course , is something Benita knows quite a bit about.Each day at the Special Care Center brings an exciting and rewarding challenge. Hamilton describes the center as a skilled nursing facility with 240 residents.One-hundred and twenty of the beds are dedicated to HIV and AIDS patients , while the other half is dedicated to traditional nursing home patients and rehabilitative care.Hamilton works as a coverage provider at the seven-floor facility.When one of the MDs is absent , she fills in to provide medical care to the residents , giving her the opportunity to interact with all of the patients.

I am what is called a floater , Hamilton says.I am the type of person who gets bored with one thing.My day is pretty much 9-5 : 30 , but when I go in I never know what's going to await me. On Mondays I may have the seventh floor , Thursdays the sixth floor , and on Fridays I may wind up on the second floor , et cetera.But there are days , however , when I am required to respond to three floors of residents.Sometimes , she adds , laughing , it seems all you hear on the intercom is ‘PA Hamilton , call this extension , or ‘PA Hamilton , call that extension.' So when I show up , the patients joke and say , ‘Oh , what a surprise.It's PA Hamilton.'.
...
Despite the numerous daily challenges , Hamilton maintains that the medical staff remains very attentive and is able to quickly address any complaint or change of status in the residents.It makes for a relatively stable population , Hamilton says.Describing the approach at the facility , she adds that the residents are always transferred to the main hospital's emergency department whenever an emergency arises that is beyond the scope of care that the facility renders.Due to advanced Retro viral therapies , however , the facility's rate of discharge to the community far exceeds patient morbidity in the HIV/AIDS population , Hamilton says.

Even as a little girl , Hamilton knew that she wanted to dedicate herself to patient care.Although there were no MDs or PAs in her family , she became quite familiar with the world of medicine.Her aunt , who Hamilton describes as having a seizure history , went back and forth to the clinic many times over the years , and Hamilton often accompanied her on these trips.There I was , seven or eight years old , and I would just say to myself , ‘I belong here.I want to help people , Hamilton reminisces.In high school and college , she kept her area of concentration in the sciences.After earning her B.S. in Biology at Fordham University in Bronx , NY , however , she married , had a family , and worked for New York Telephone as a customer representative for six years.I was helping people , but not to my fullest ability , Hamilton says.It wasn't until 1994 , when the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center Physician Assistant Program opened its doors to new students that Hamilton was able to fulfill her life-long goal of helping others in the medical field.NYNEX ( now Bell Atlantic ) offered an educational leave of absence along with full tuition reimbursement and , two years later , Hamilton was among the first twenty-four students to graduate from the Bronx Lebanon Physician Assistant program.

I was excited to be part of the brand new program and to fulfill my life-long goal of helping others , Hamilton says.And now that I've finally made it , the challenge is to be the best I can be as both a person and as a professional.There are times when I just sit down and talk with the residents.A lot of them have psycho-social issues that need to be addressed , and , in some cases , I have to refer them to the counselors to keep my personal feelings from affecting my professional judgment.At the same time , however , I can still sit and listen and just let the residents know I care.It makes a difference.
...
Hamilton , thank you so much for listening.' That in itself is truly rewarding..

In fact , by filling in for some of the patients' regular doctors , Hamilton has established an excellent rapport with many of the residents.We do weekly assessments on the HIV floors , Benita explains , and there was this one patient , whose doctor was on vacation , that showed some reluctance about letting me take a look at him.When I told him I was there for his weekly check-up , he said , ‘Check-up.For what?' So I explained to him that his doctor was not here and that I wanted to give him a brief evaluation , just to see how things were going.And although he gave me a hard time for a while , he eventually let me examine him.The nice thing was , later that day , he pulled his wheelchair up to me , pulled aside an empty chair , and said , Have a seat , Ms. Hamilton.I want to talk to you.' From that point on we continued to have a wonderful patient/practitioner relationship..

Through the patient education series , Hamilton is able to reach even more residents.She has given lectures on a variety of topics and issues , ranging from general medicine to HIV , often keeping the talks as friendly and personal as a one-on-one consultation.During a lecture on dermatology for HIV patients , for instance , she pulled a chair up to the table and allowed the patients to page through a dermatological atlas.I don't like to stand in front of a blackboard and lecture , she explains.Instead , I make it a practice to first sit down with the patients , find out what exactly they would like to talk about , then proceed.So when I opened that atlas , and the patients were able to see dermatological conditions with their own eyes , they were just fascinated and excited to be there.That was a really great lecture..

In addition to the patient education lectures , Hamilton is also involved in various AIDS research projects and , along with the medical director , Dr. Thomas , is currently investigating late stage AIDS in the era of H.A.A.R.T. ( Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy ) regimens.
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Benita Hamilton earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University , Bronx , NY , in 1988 , and her Physician Assistant Training Certificate from the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center Physician Assistant Program in 1996.She is currently working on a Master of Health Education and Promotion degree at CUNY- Lehman , Bronx , NY.