1/ Ok, friends of REAL #PAmedtwitter, I’ve held off on posting this for a bit because:
a. I’m really f’ing busy
b. I risk looking like a crazy conspiracy theorist
c. I thought our profession was better than this

But...hear me out.

2/ PAs are an important part of the healthcare delivery system.

This does not change in the midst of a global pandemic.

In fact, our role as highly-skilled versatile clinicians who practice team-based medicine is potentially amplified in the current state of things.

3/ However, you may have noticed many PA accounts vocally advocating for dissolution of the PA-physician relationship which (IMHO) is an important part of our profession and (IMHO) should be determined at the practice level.

4/ These accounts are heavy users of the hashtag #PAsNeedFullPracticeAuthority calling for sweeping state and even federal changes to PA practice rules.

I think using a global pandemic to push an agenda that is not embraced by all (most?) PAs is a bit tasteless.

5/ But wait, it gets worse.

Notice how I didn’t say “PA colleagues” but rather “PA accounts.”

That is because there is something a bit fishy about the accounts peddling this FPA hashtag.

6/ Can you spot it?

7/ How about now?

8/ Any patterns emerge?

9/ What I see:
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="1️⃣" title="Keycap digit one" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit one">Few followers
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="2️⃣" title="Keycap digit two" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit two">Many just following one another or real #pamedtwitter accounts that have “PA” in their handle/bio
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="3️⃣" title="Keycap digit three" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit three">Lots of copy/paste retweets
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="4️⃣" title="Keycap digit four" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit four">Tweets only about FPA/independent practice
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="5️⃣" title="Keycap digit five" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit five">Poor grammar/capitalization
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="6️⃣" title="Keycap digit six" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit six">Join dates in March/April 2020

10/ And what do these things often indicate?
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BOTS!

11/ The @Botometer from @IndianaUniv ( https://botometer.iuni.iu.edu/#!/ )">https://botometer.iuni.iu.edu/... seems to agree with me.

Check out its scores for the accounts peddling #PAsNeedFullPracticeAuthority (left) vs. accounts of real #PAmedtwitter (right)

12/ So, if you’ve followed my quarantine crazy rant this far, I think it’s pretty clear that there are PA bot accounts out there tastelessly taking advantage of a global pandemic to push for independent practice/FPA.

13/ Well, bots don’t just mobilize on their own and bots certainly aren’t free.

Someone requested them.
Someone paid for them.

Any guesses who?

14/ I don’t have an answer.

However, I can tell you that I would be seriously disappointed in any PA organization whether national, state, or local who may have had a hand in this.

15/ Ok, so I totally understand that this may also be a grassroots SoMe campaign (which, it is totally cool to advocate for what you believe in)!

However, please consider doing in a way that is a bit more authentic/sincere and a little less bot-y.