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Aapa membership? Worth it?


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Yes, it is worth it.

 

I don't always agree with AAPA.  Too often, it is run by staff and/or PAs that are not always in touch with the grass roots.  However, it is our national organization and I support them.  And I do think they are getting better.  We need national representation.  I choose to help AAPA improve from the inside as a member.

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I have repeatedly examined this question myself and return to the same conclusion. Until the AAPA demonstrates some initiative and some success in changing our profession's title and securing independent practice rights, I cannot support them financially. I believe they are working against the best interests of our profession. NPs now have independent practice in 22 states. How many states do PAs have independent practice? Zero. I would call that a failure of the AAPA. When they get to one state with independent practice, I will start sending dues. 

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I forgot to mention that NPs never take a recertification exam and never risk their livelihood. Meanwhile PAs study useless material that they will never benefit from in order to line the pockets of the NCCPA. Sorry folks but AAPA needs to score a win on this in order to get my membership. No matter how you slice it. NPs are the winners and PAs are the losers. I know it sounds harsh but look at the facts. 

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I am a student (for another 9 days) and view membership in the AAPA similar to voting in an election (not making a comment at all about our most recent election, just elections in general).

 

If you don't vote, you can't complain about the result.

 

If you aren't an AAPA member, you can't complain about what the AAPA does or doesn't do.  The AAPA listens to its constituents (or is supposed to).  Those are the actual paying members - everyone else has an impact on our profession, but not the AAPA.

 

While I certainly don't support a lot of the decisions made by the AAPA (and definitely the NCCPA), I still plan to be a member for the entirety of my career.  How else will we affect change regarding the things we all gripe about and wish for on this forum?

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"If you aren't an AAPA member, you can't complain about what the AAPA does or doesn't do. "

 

So by analogy, if you aren't a member of the opposing party in Congress, you cannot object to their policies or absence of support for your own party's policies.  If I apply this argument, then Democrats should join the Republican party to contribute to their dialogue and send them money. Likewise, Republicans should join the Democratic party and send money to the Democrats to contribute to their dialogue. Unless you payoff the opposing party, you cannot engage in debate or have your views considered. Seriously?

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It's not a perfect analogy as we only have one "governing body" that is supposed to be actively advocating for PA's, while we have 2 major parties in our political system.  But, I will stand by the analogy because the point is whether or not you are active.  If you are a democrat who voted against Trump, then you have the right to be disappointed and voice criticism in a mature and productive manner.  If you did not vote at all then you have no right to be disappointed as you are part of why he was elected.  It is the same for AAPA, if you are a member then you can voice your support or displeasure directly to them.  If you are not a member then the AAPA is not going to listen to you, therefore you are speaking in an echo chamber.

 

Overall it is everyone's own decision whether or not to join the AAPA and we each have the freedom to make that choice.  I don't think less of those who choose not to join, I just simply disagree with them.  I disagree with a lot of people, but that doesn't mean I don't respect them or believe that I'm better in some fashion.  I was only trying to explain my personal reasoning for joining the AAPA, and hopefully my thought process can help someone else come to their own decision in a thoughtful manner.

 

(Please note that the above is not meant to voice support or otherwise for Trump, but to rather explain my point. I have my political views, but this is not the correct thread or forum for them.)

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I just left a position that paid for my AAPA dues for one that does not. I think it is important enough to be a member of my national and specialty organizations that I am now personally footing the bill for these. much to the distress of some of my colleagues I am not, however, a member of my state organization. as a long-time em PA , my state organization has nothing to offer me.

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I have repeatedly examined this question myself and return to the same conclusion. Until the AAPA demonstrates some initiative and some success in changing our profession's title and securing independent practice rights, I cannot support them financially. I believe they are working against the best interests of our profession. NPs now have independent practice in 22 states. How many states do PAs have independent practice? Zero. I would call that a failure of the AAPA. When they get to one state with independent practice, I will start sending dues.

Sounds like maybe you should have gone to medical school. Or how about you get involved and try to make some of these changes?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Trump repeated made the argument against Clinton that she has had thirty years in government to make changes and she never did. Why should people think that by voting for her, she would suddenly start making changes. It was a pretty potent argument. So, let me ask the AAPA. How many years have you been collecting dues from members? How many states do PAs enjoy independent practice? Why do PAs continue to take high stakes recert exams when NPs do not? Why do we retain a title that diminishes our status and influence? 

 

Please folks. If you don't belong to the AAPA, do NOT join. If you are a member, STOP paying dues. Rewarding poor performance is not going to improve performance.

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I personally do not belong to the AAPA.

 

I recent just paid:  1)  $155 state license  2)  $775 DEA license  3)  CS License $50

 

After taxes, this is a large chunk of change.  Then to pay $295 a year for AAPA membership, and possibly more for CME activities is getting a little crazy in my opinion.

 

With hospitals cutting CME allotment, and not covering licenses... how much more can we be expected to pay out of pocket?

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Waste of money. 

 

What evidence is there that paying the AAPA $300 a year is really making any measurable impact on "furthering our profession"?

 

If they take the gloves off and start making some bold plays then yeah, I'd probably reinstate my membership. But I've yet to see anything compelling enough from them to voluntarily hand over my money. I already have to pay the NCCPA every year just to remain certified.

 

They are a flaccid figurehead organization. They postured up against the NCCPA when they were proposing all the additional certification requirements, which was nice, but since I've been a PA they have never acted on any of the issues that PAs really want:

 

-Independent practice rights

-Title change

-Lowering the stakes or abolishing the recert exam.

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Trump repeated made the argument against Clinton that she has had thirty years in government to make changes and she never did. Why should people think that by voting for her, she would suddenly start making changes. It was a pretty potent argument. So, let me ask the AAPA. How many years have you been collecting dues from members? How many states do PAs enjoy independent practice? Why do PAs continue to take high stakes recert exams when NPs do not? Why do we retain a title that diminishes our status and influence? 

 

Please folks. If you don't belong to the AAPA, do NOT join. If you are a member, STOP paying dues. Rewarding poor performance is not going to improve performance.

 

As a AAPA member I disagree with you overthehorizen. How can there be change without money and/or investment (time/knowledge/etc)? If you do not want to pay AAPA and are SO passionate about change, then run for AAPA/PAFT/NCCPA office(s). Your time would be appreciated. Also, just because AAPA has not fought for independent practice/name change etc, does not mean they are not making positive changes for PA's. Just because you do not agree with their policies or the issues you are fighting for, does not mean you should not be a member. Just like your analogy about Trump vs Hillary, if one were apart of their party (Republican vs Democrat), does not mean you have to like/love/want/wish/etc everything that they believe or work for. You cannot like everything (100%) of what the AAPA does/believes in/works for/etc, but you CANNOT have change without time and money. So, if you are so unhappy with AAPA, then PLEASE run for office and make change for ALL PA's! :)   

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wow

 

amazing to hear other PA think that you should not join......

 

 

My only comment is money makes DC/politicians stand up

 

If you are not going to join AAPA then you best be writing a big fat check to some PAC to advocate for the profession or you are just a simple bystander and have done NOTHING, ZILCH, NADA ZERO to help protect and grow our profession on a national level...  sad......

 

 

 

 

mostly PA get 100k

 

The < $500 membership is 0.05% of you income...... really - you spend more money on a weekend out then on this, and yet our profession needs to go forward, and in DC that mean political activism.... not bystanders...

 

 

 

BTW I did not feel this way till AAPA "turned the tide" in the past 2 years and now finally gets it... their low point was allowing PA to be EXCLUDED from HiTech funds...... well DUH that was a STUPID mistake,    But people like Dave and new board members are getting it.. used to be they moved at glacial speed - now it seems they are walking speed - not great, but so much better.  This was because YOU - the PA in the trenches, doing the heavy lifting, busting butt, spoke up and made a racket

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wow

 

amazing to hear other PA think that you should not join......

 

 

My only comment is money makes DC/politicians stand up

 

If you are not going to join AAPA then you best be writing a big fat check to some PAC to advocate for the profession or you are just a simple bystander and have done NOTHING, ZILCH, NADA ZERO to help protect and grow our profession on a national level...  sad......

 

 

 

 

mostly PA get 100k

 

The < $500 membership is 0.05% of you income...... really - you spend more money on a weekend out then on this, and yet our profession needs to go forward, and in DC that mean political activism.... not bystanders...

 

 

 

BTW I did not feel this way till AAPA "turned the tide" in the past 2 years and now finally gets it... their low point was allowing PA to be EXCLUDED from HiTech funds...... well DUH that was a STUPID mistake,    But people like Dave and new board members are getting it.. used to be they moved at glacial speed - now it seems they are walking speed - not great, but so much better.  This was because YOU - the PA in the trenches, doing the heavy lifting, busting butt, spoke up and made a racket

 

If $500 is less than 0.05% of your income, are there any job openings?  

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Still waiting for them to apologize to Ben Carson for their unconscionable, arguably racist, treatment.

 

In the mean time, I belong to my state org and PAFT.

 

Arguably racist?

That is ridiculous. He essentially equated homosexuality with pedophilia and bestiality. That had nothing to do with his race. It had to do with his very poor understanding of psychology and fact. There simply is NO connection between homosexuality and pedophilia. That is not OPINION it is simply FACT.

 

The wrong wing has been trotting out this LIE repeatedly ever since Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" propaganda in the late 70's. It was a ridiculous LIE then and it is a ridiculous LIE now. It is an effort to harm people you don't understand and anyone who peddles in it has no business in the medical profession. What other lies does he perpetrate at the expense of his patients. First do no harm... I would say that starts with being honest. 

 

The AAPA certainly had every right and I would argue an obligation to refuse to offer a platform to someone who is so uninformed and ignorant of FACT. They had every right and obligation to withdraw the offer of a platform and an honorary award to someone who claims to be a learned medical professional but rejects the consensus views of the medical profession regarding homosexuality and pedophilia. 

 

Ben Carson has every right to say what ever he wants, that is free speech. He also has the right to suffer the consequences of that speech when it is based on lie, is counter to established FACT, and is knowingly offensive to large segments of civil society. 

 

Believe it or not an African American CAN say something offensive and incorrect and be held accountable. That is not racism. It is in fact the exact opposite. 

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"As a AAPA member I disagree with you overthehorizen. How can there be change without money and/or investment (time/knowledge/etc)? If you do not want to pay AAPA and are SO passionate about change, then run for AAPA/PAFT/NCCPA office(s). Your time would be appreciated. Also, just because AAPA has not fought for independent practice/name change etc, does not mean they are not making positive changes for PA's. Just because you do not agree with their policies or the issues you are fighting for, does not mean you should not be a member. Just like your analogy about Trump vs Hillary, if one were apart of their party (Republican vs Democrat), does not mean you have to like/love/want/wish/etc everything that they believe or work for. You cannot like everything (100%) of what the AAPA does/believes in/works for/etc, but you CANNOT have change without time and money. So, if you are so unhappy with AAPA, then PLEASE run for office and make change for ALL PA's! :)  " 

 

Just for fun, I followed camoman's lead. He changed my name to bold but I italicized, fonticized , colorcized and underlinicized it. Now , to the relevant part. He asks "how can there be change without money" to which I reply, there can be no change without an objective and a plan. The resources simply support the plan. So, why doesn't AAPA state that it has three objectives 1. eliminate high stakes recert 2. win 5 states for independent practice and 3. Plan for legislation change of title in 10 states. That should be a reasonable objective to start with. As for money, just start three separate kickstarter campaigns with an third party trustee to oversee funds disbursement for precisely the stated objectives. This way, we can get what we want without squandering out money in the AAPA slush fund that serves no PAs. PS When responding, please be creative with spicing up your name to increase attention

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Still waiting for them to apologize to Ben Carson for their unconscionable, arguably racist, treatment.

 

In the mean time, I belong to my state org and PAFT.

I can't belong to my state org because membership there is dependent upon membership in AAPA, and I won't join them for the same reason.

 

Arguably racist?

That is ridiculous. He essentially equated homosexuality with pedophilia and bestiality. 

 

No, despite what the leftist media crams down our throats, Dr. Carson did not EQUATE homosexuality with pedophilia or bestiality.

 

He said NOBODY has the right to change the definition of a word, in this case the term "marriage".  For thousands of years virtually every culture on the face of the planet has defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  

 

His direct quote was: ""And no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality, it doesn't matter what they are. They don't get to change the definition, so it's not something that's against gays, it's against anybody who wants to come along and change the fundamental definitions of pillars of society-it has significant ramifications."

 

 

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Everyone understood exactly what he meant.  You are wrong. He was wrong.

 

He chose his words for a reason. It is a statement that has support with a certain portion of society. It is wrong and harmful and should be called out every time some one tries to get away with it. 

 

That is not "leftist" it is honest. 

 

Your defense of his statement is not honest, and does not reflect very favorably on your character. 

 

I will not debate you further on this issue because there is no room for debate. He was wrong, and your are wrong for defending him.

 

I'll make no more comments on this thread. 

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"As a AAPA member I disagree with you overthehorizen. How can there be change without money and/or investment (time/knowledge/etc)? If you do not want to pay AAPA and are SO passionate about change, then run for AAPA/PAFT/NCCPA office(s). Your time would be appreciated. Also, just because AAPA has not fought for independent practice/name change etc, does not mean they are not making positive changes for PA's. Just because you do not agree with their policies or the issues you are fighting for, does not mean you should not be a member. Just like your analogy about Trump vs Hillary, if one were apart of their party (Republican vs Democrat), does not mean you have to like/love/want/wish/etc everything that they believe or work for. You cannot like everything (100%) of what the AAPA does/believes in/works for/etc, but you CANNOT have change without time and money. So, if you are so unhappy with AAPA, then PLEASE run for office and make change for ALL PA's! :)  " 

 

Just for fun, I followed camoman's lead. He changed my name to bold but I italicized, fonticized , colorcized and underlinicized it. Now , to the relevant part. He asks "how can there be change without money" to which I reply, there can be no change without an objective and a plan. The resources simply support the plan. So, why doesn't AAPA state that it has three objectives 1. eliminate high stakes recert 2. win 5 states for independent practice and 3. Plan for legislation change of title in 10 states. That should be a reasonable objective to start with. As for money, just start three separate kickstarter campaigns with an third party trustee to oversee funds disbursement for precisely the stated objectives. This way, we can get what we want without squandering out money in the AAPA slush fund that serves no PAs. PS When responding, please be creative with spicing up your name to increase attention

 

Spicing up my name? Not sure why you care so much, but that is besides the point. Again, since you have so many great ideas, then organize those three separate kickstarters. Also, you seemed to avoid the topic of YOU running for office(s) so you can implement your great ideas and make change. I have no interest in running for office, so I pay my dues. Thanks for the great discussion and the great ideas. I hope WE can make change for OUR profession.    

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Everyone understood exactly what he meant.  You are wrong. He was wrong.

 

He chose his words for a reason. It is a statement that has support with a certain portion of society. It is wrong and harmful and should be called out every time some one tries to get away with it. 

 

That is not "leftist" it is honest. 

 

Your defense of his statement is not honest, and does not reflect very favorably on your character. 

 

I will not debate you further on this issue because there is no room for debate. He was wrong, and your are wrong for defending him.

 

I'll make no more comments on this thread. 

 

This highlights the infantile response of the American left.

 

Leftists FEEL their position is absolutely right, so therefore ANYONE who disagrees with them is wrong, wrong, wrong....wrong wrong wrong...like a child putting their fingers in their ears and running away.

 

This leaves no room for debate, or UNDERSTANDING, of competing ideology.  Leftists FEEL these competing ideologies are WRONG, therefore they MUST be shut down.  They shut down these competing ideologies by calling them racist, homophobic, mysogenistic, etc.  

 

Dr. Carson is none of these.  He is a humble, God-fearing man who seems to treat each and every person with the utmost of respect.  If you could ever get over what you "feel" that he said and listen to him you may be able to see that.

 

Americans are tired of having their "character" judged by the leftists in the media, in academia, and in the Democrat party, and is EXACTLY why the Democrat party is virtually DEAD in about 45 states.

 

 

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