burnpac Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 MY opinion is that they're in bed together and they always have been. the aapa does not represent the interests of our profession. if they did, they would have released a supportive statement about the PANRE scoring screw-up. We are all entitled to our opinions. I don't buy the logic that because they didn't respond to you (a self-proclaimed non-member) on your terms and with a statement acceptable to you, it is prima facie evidence that the AAPA doesn't represent the profession. However, I assume from your screen name that you are a surgical PA, like me. Do you like getting reimbursed for surgical first assisting? How do you think that this came about? I will tell you how. Folks like Michael Powe on the AAPA staff busting his butt for decades fighting for the profession, paid by the dues dollars of members. That is but one of many examples. If you don't want to be a member, don't. That is everyone's right. The AAPA has done plenty, right and wrong, over the years. But I for one would never not support my state, national and specialty organizations, because I know for a fact that they are the only ones representing my interests in Sacramento, and Washington. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnpac Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 actually, your link has nothing to do with the discussion at hand. unless i missed something, the recent screw-up by the nccpa isn't mentioned in this release. they do however, talk about how pleased they are with themselves in talking the nccpa out of pursuing specialty certification; something many PA's (including me) are completely in favor of. so once again, the aapa proves themselves in bed with the nccpa. i haven't sent membership dues to the aapa in years, and i have no intention of ever doing so in the future. Huh?!? The AAPA has fought tooth and nail against specialty certification, because it does significant damage to the flexibility and utility of PAs. The reason why they have opposed the NCCPA on this is because the more than 200 delegates of the House, the vast majority of which are specialty PAs, from every jurisdiction in the nation, have been overwhelmingly opposed to specialty certification. I have served in 5 specialties in my 31 year career, and I think the excellent career satisfaction reported by PAs everywhere is a direct result of this flexibility. CAQs are the middle ground that allow PAs to demonstrate additional competence, without creating additional barriers to lateral mobility. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't get your logic. Be careful what you wish for in regards to specialty certification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnpac Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 actually, your link has nothing to do with the discussion at hand. unless i missed something, the recent screw-up by the nccpa isn't mentioned in this release. they do however, talk about how pleased they are with themselves in talking the nccpa out of pursuing specialty certification; something many PA's (including me) are completely in favor of. so once again, the aapa proves themselves in bed with the nccpa. i haven't sent membership dues to the aapa in years, and i have no intention of ever doing so in the future. Huh?!? The AAPA has fought tooth and nail against specialty certification, because it does significant damage to the flexibility and utility of PAs. The reason why they have opposed the NCCPA on this is because the more than 200 delegates of the House, the vast majority of which are specialty PAs, from every jurisdiction in the nation, have been overwhelmingly opposed to specialty certification. I have served in 5 specialties in my 31 year career, and I think the excellent career satisfaction reported by PAs everywhere is a direct result of this flexibility. CAQs are the middle ground that allow PAs to demonstrate additional competence, without creating additional barriers to lateral mobility. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't get your logic. Be careful what you wish for in regards to specialty certification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain1028 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 2 things: 1) The AAPA does a terrible job of advertising the profession 2) The re-certification thing should be reserved for PAs who have been in trouble or had some type of probation/Board action, etc. IMO, they should revise the whole thing. If you are a PA in good standing, never been in trouble, no professional deficiencies, and 3 letters from your employer then you should be exempt from the exam. Well, that's what I would prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain1028 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 2 things: 1) The AAPA does a terrible job of advertising the profession 2) The re-certification thing should be reserved for PAs who have been in trouble or had some type of probation/Board action, etc. IMO, they should revise the whole thing. If you are a PA in good standing, never been in trouble, no professional deficiencies, and 3 letters from your employer then you should be exempt from the exam. Well, that's what I would prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronjay1010 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Most of us want to know what is going on. What is NCCPA going to do 1) reimburse those who put in extra money for classes, books, etc. They mentioned a $50 discount for putting in your CMEs. 2) pay for the suffering we had to endure for failing a test then passing. Think about all the time studying, away from family and friends and the humiliation of failing by telling your boss and peers you failed. 3) they should bend over backwards to avoid a law suit. 4) did they fire the guy who forgot to tell the "scorers" that there are 240 questions not 300. This caused most of the problem. When I call NCCPA, the lady admitted it was human error and he forgot to tell them. It wasn't our complaining that something was wrong, it was his admission. What is the AAPA going to do? Whats their position? I've seen nothing on their website. I've emailed them twice without a response. We want to know how things will be resolved or it will be a law suit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronjay1010 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Most of us want to know what is going on. What is NCCPA going to do 1) reimburse those who put in extra money for classes, books, etc. They mentioned a $50 discount for putting in your CMEs. 2) pay for the suffering we had to endure for failing a test then passing. Think about all the time studying, away from family and friends and the humiliation of failing by telling your boss and peers you failed. 3) they should bend over backwards to avoid a law suit. 4) did they fire the guy who forgot to tell the "scorers" that there are 240 questions not 300. This caused most of the problem. When I call NCCPA, the lady admitted it was human error and he forgot to tell them. It wasn't our complaining that something was wrong, it was his admission. What is the AAPA going to do? Whats their position? I've seen nothing on their website. I've emailed them twice without a response. We want to know how things will be resolved or it will be a law suit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 We are all entitled to our opinions. I don't buy the logic that because they didn't respond to you (a self-proclaimed non-member)..... Steve, Two things.... First, I hope the above statement doesnt mean that the AAPA tailors which PAs it responds to based on whether or not they are members. Second, what is the response or action from the AAPA or CAPA about the recent news on how PAs need to identify themselves as being governed by CA "consumer affairs"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 We are all entitled to our opinions. I don't buy the logic that because they didn't respond to you (a self-proclaimed non-member)..... Steve, Two things.... First, I hope the above statement doesnt mean that the AAPA tailors which PAs it responds to based on whether or not they are members. Second, what is the response or action from the AAPA or CAPA about the recent news on how PAs need to identify themselves as being governed by CA "consumer affairs"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LESH Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Sorry for hijacking the thread...I moved my comments to appropriate thread under California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LESH Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Sorry for hijacking the thread...I moved my comments to appropriate thread under California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surgipa Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Most of us want to know what is going on. What is NCCPA going to do 1) reimburse those who put in extra money for classes, books, etc. They mentioned a $50 discount for putting in your CMEs. 2) pay for the suffering we had to endure for failing a test then passing. Think about all the time studying, away from family and friends and the humiliation of failing by telling your boss and peers you failed. 3) they should bend over backwards to avoid a law suit. 4) did they fire the guy who forgot to tell the "scorers" that there are 240 questions not 300. This caused most of the problem. When I call NCCPA, the lady admitted it was human error and he forgot to tell them. It wasn't our complaining that something was wrong, it was his admission. What is the AAPA going to do? Whats their position? I've seen nothing on their website. I've emailed them twice without a response. We want to know how things will be resolved or it will be a law suit. 1) When I called, the person I spoke with (Sheila Mauldin, VP of Exam Administration) said they would reimburse for additional incurred expenses. Just email your receipts. I sent mine to "heatherr at nccpa dot net" about 2 weeks ago and never heard back from her. She'll be getting a call tomorrow. 2) Most likely they won't offer to pay for your pain, suffering, and time spent studying for an exam you ultimately didn't need to take. If you registered for a 2nd exam, they should refund your $350, but I wouldn't expect much more than that. 3) They SHOULD be bending over backwards to avoid a lawsuit, but my guess is this: their lawyers (and I'm sure they have more than a few), have probably told them they have nothing to worry about as far as a lawsuit is concerned. They came forward, they admitted their mistake, and they offered to reimburse your expenses. 4) I had to guess, I would say the guy who screwed up didn't get fired and probably won't be. If he came forward on his own and admitted his error, he was probably reprimanded and it went no further than that. I'm sure if he thought there was a chance he would lose his job, he wouldn't have admitted what he did. 5) The aapa more than likely won't take a position against the nccpa. They won't come out with a statement, and good luck if you think you'll hear anything from them about this mess; you won't. As much as I'd like to see the nccpa fry for this, I really don't think there's a basis for a lawsuit. At least not one that will be successful. Just MHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surgipa Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Most of us want to know what is going on. What is NCCPA going to do 1) reimburse those who put in extra money for classes, books, etc. They mentioned a $50 discount for putting in your CMEs. 2) pay for the suffering we had to endure for failing a test then passing. Think about all the time studying, away from family and friends and the humiliation of failing by telling your boss and peers you failed. 3) they should bend over backwards to avoid a law suit. 4) did they fire the guy who forgot to tell the "scorers" that there are 240 questions not 300. This caused most of the problem. When I call NCCPA, the lady admitted it was human error and he forgot to tell them. It wasn't our complaining that something was wrong, it was his admission. What is the AAPA going to do? Whats their position? I've seen nothing on their website. I've emailed them twice without a response. We want to know how things will be resolved or it will be a law suit. 1) When I called, the person I spoke with (Sheila Mauldin, VP of Exam Administration) said they would reimburse for additional incurred expenses. Just email your receipts. I sent mine to "heatherr at nccpa dot net" about 2 weeks ago and never heard back from her. She'll be getting a call tomorrow. 2) Most likely they won't offer to pay for your pain, suffering, and time spent studying for an exam you ultimately didn't need to take. If you registered for a 2nd exam, they should refund your $350, but I wouldn't expect much more than that. 3) They SHOULD be bending over backwards to avoid a lawsuit, but my guess is this: their lawyers (and I'm sure they have more than a few), have probably told them they have nothing to worry about as far as a lawsuit is concerned. They came forward, they admitted their mistake, and they offered to reimburse your expenses. 4) I had to guess, I would say the guy who screwed up didn't get fired and probably won't be. If he came forward on his own and admitted his error, he was probably reprimanded and it went no further than that. I'm sure if he thought there was a chance he would lose his job, he wouldn't have admitted what he did. 5) The aapa more than likely won't take a position against the nccpa. They won't come out with a statement, and good luck if you think you'll hear anything from them about this mess; you won't. As much as I'd like to see the nccpa fry for this, I really don't think there's a basis for a lawsuit. At least not one that will be successful. Just MHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnpac Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Steve,I hope the above statement doesnt mean that the AAPA tailors which PAs it responds to based on whether or not they are members. My point was that surgpa and other nonmembers have benefited greatly from the AAPA activities paid for by members. As for the communications policies of the AAPA, you will have to ask them. When I was on the board, I responded to every call and e-mail I received and never bothered to ask or check a PA's membership status. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnpac Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Steve,I hope the above statement doesnt mean that the AAPA tailors which PAs it responds to based on whether or not they are members. My point was that surgpa and other nonmembers have benefited greatly from the AAPA activities paid for by members. As for the communications policies of the AAPA, you will have to ask them. When I was on the board, I responded to every call and e-mail I received and never bothered to ask or check a PA's membership status. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simkin Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 yes, bluerose84 I agree, am doing that and encourage others to do so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWR Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 after reading all the comments regarding this exam, why do we have to take it or do we??? Does this test make a better, smarter clinician? I certainly agree with maintaining the CME hours but why the test. If we fail and do not retake the test do we lose our job? There was a huge amount of mental anguish seen in these comments and for what?? Some people have practiced for decades and now face losing their jobs? It is not a requirement to practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surgipa Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 after reading all the comments regarding this exam, why do we have to take it or do we??? Does this test make a better, smarter clinician? I certainly agree with maintaining the CME hours but why the test. If we fail and do not retake the test do we lose our job? There was a huge amount of mental anguish seen in these comments and for what?? Some people have practiced for decades and now face losing their jobs? It is not a requirement to practice. yeah, sorry. unfortunately in most states, having your "-C" IS a requirement to practice. it's a big $$$ maker for the nccpa, and they've managed to force it down our throats and most all states have bought into it. pay up or forget your state license. this will never go away....the nccpa is a multi-million $ a year cash cow. the top dog at the organization makes about $240k/yr and has a $10k "expense account". any PA's out there pulling in this kind of cash??? i'd guess not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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