State chapters helpful?

[GetMeOuttaThisMess]

I was curious to see how others felt regarding the effectiveness and helpfulness of leaders/organizations at the state level?  I think that we've come to have a feel as to how folks feel about national leadership. Mods, would you care to put a survey block here without necessarily specifying specific states and thus leave any comments to additional posts?  I had recently reached out to mine and the response that I received was less than stellar in my opinion (on two separate occasions actually over the past year with the first being a general inquiry through the website and then the second being addressed to a specific individual). I had previously never made contact with the organization over the prior three decades and don't know any of the parties involved. 

[Guest Paula]

I am licensed in two states.  One has been very helpful from the beginning of my career in 2004. They answered questions on billing, SOP, referring to a lawyer that was affiliated with the medical board (and he always answered my questions too) and answering questions at state meetings about legislation and practice issues.  They solicited comments from members when they were in the process of submitting bills.  They asked for the PAs to send letters to the medical board and to get our SPs involved in supporting the PA cause. They have been open to progressive ideas for PA practice. I give them an A++.

 

The other state initially was not responsive.  In fact they were not accepting of any different ideas for progressive PA practice.  This was 3 years ago when I joined.  Then I did not renew membership for one year and watched.  A new board was elected and Holy Moly what a change!  The chapter now appears to be progressive and wants PAs to have equity with NPs and have been working towards that goal.  They accepted ideas and letters of support for the legislation and I have been able to communicate with their leadership and lobbying person.  What a difference from previous board. 

 

I believe the difference comes from PAs who can look into the future and decide they want to be involved so we can have the best practice situations  AND they are seeing the light with the NP legislative changes that negatively affect PA practices. 

[ventana]

The state chapters are really where the rubber meets the road

 

We should all be members and vote in the elections to ensure a progressive board - this is our own representation and we should not accept old thoughts or lazyness....

 

I am in MASS and the MAss pa group is great for what I see - they are always on top of things and pushing hard for changes to benefit us - even with this the lawmakers seem to not have a clue and it is an uphill battle

 

Heather Trafton is amazing and she is from MASS

[SHU-CH]

Running a state chapter is the most thankless job on earth. If you run into the folks that run your state chapter, give them a big hug because they deserve it. 

 

As Ventana says, the state chapters are where things happen that will probably matter the most in your daily life as a PA. Please consider getting involved. You will meet great people and learn about leadership skills you never knew you had. It is a great opportunity for personal and professional growth. In most societies you can put in as much or as little time as you want, and there is usually a committee to match every interest. 

 

If you can't get involved, at least join. If nothing else, when the society speaks to legislators the legislators will want to know how many people the society represents. If only 20% of the PAs in a state belong to a society, the legislator will be getting the message that 80% of PAs do not care what the society thinks. 

 

Our profession is great at many things, but we are bad at networking and bad at advocacy.

[Guest Paula]

^^^^^^^ So true!!!  Join your state chapter and get involved in one way or another. 

[UGoLong]

Here are some thoughts on state and national PA professional organizations:

 

I am not always happy with organizations I have belonged to (that includes my Congressional district!), but I think we still need to participate. If everyone quits organizations that don't meet their expectations, then the organizations won't need to change. I've belonged to AAPA since I was thinking about becoming a PA and I continue to do so. I am seeing some signs of positive change and think that's great. In the larger scheme of things, without a strong national voice, you are basically screwed.

 

I've belonged to my state PA organization since I was a student. I still belong and I go to at least their annual conference. You get to know people and develop relationships, plus this is the group that is most likely to work for changes that enhance your ability to practice. To me, it's a no-brainer. Our state organization, small though it may be, has worked successfully for meaningful change over the 10 years I've belonged. While the pace of change hasn't been what we might have liked, they are definitely working for us.

 

That brings me to PAFT. I have become a member because I like the objectives of the organization. It's a small group (I think) but it is pushing for the kind of change the profession needs over time. I feel that it's worth my support so I support it.

 

There is not much of a specialty group in my field, so I haven't kept up my membership there; I figured it was just as effective to join the American College of Cardiology, which my job pays for.

 

I try to stay active with my PA program because I really appreciate the opportunity it gave me and would like to see it help others. You can't really pay back, but you can pay forward. We can help by precepting, letting pre-PAs shadow, and -- when your finances allow -- donating to help needy students get a chance.