AAPA elections

[EMEDPA]

Who should we support in the AAPA elections and why?

Does PAFT support any particular candidates? 

[sas5814]

Unopposed president. 4 candidates for director. I don't know how many seats are open.

I'm not sure PAFT is even a functioning organization any more.

[rev ronin]

On 5/24/2023 at 11:19 AM, Hemmingway said:

I'm not sure PAFT is even a functioning organization any more.

PAFT is indeed struggling. I am not seeking to continue serving beyond the end of my term as a DAL, but I encourage other interested and invested people to do so.

And no, there has been no talk of endorsements this election.

[Reality Check 2]

PAFT will struggle because we have no national support. AAPA and NCCPA are tone deaf and ignore the 9000 lb gorilla in the room that is killing our profession. NPs will squash our profession within a decade.

AAPA and NCCPA do NOT represent the majority of PAs in the US.

Many of us quit paying AAPA - why would I give money to an org that doesn’t listen or act on anything of substance?

I am 10 yrs to retirement and hope I am in a solid govt job that will sustain me and has a pension to boot.

We have way too many PA schools, way too many graduates, not enough preceptor sites for good training and not enough jobs. 

The whole profession needs a Come to Glory discussion with a seriously honest reality check of what our future holds and how to change it. 

Fewer schools, improve what we have and focus on precepting but FIRST MAKE THE PROFESSION COMPETITIVE AND VIABLE. 

The NPs will take us out - I am exhausted watching the grossly visible iceberg ahead and hearing those with any power continue to deny its existence.

[Hope2PA]

PAFT gave up on the future when they caved regarding title change.  

[rev ronin]

4 hours ago, Hope2PA said:

PAFT gave up on the future when they caved regarding title change.  

You make it sound like PAFT was responsible, when in fact it was the old guard who acquiesced to the title change on their terms, and PAFT just put out a poorly considered press release in the middle of it.

[rev ronin]

9 hours ago, Reality Check 2 said:

PAFT will struggle because we have no national support. AAPA and NCCPA are tone deaf and ignore the 9000 lb gorilla in the room that is killing our profession. NPs will squash our profession within a decade.

AAPA and NCCPA do NOT represent the majority of PAs in the US.

Had a candid discussion with an NCCPA board member during AAPA 2023, who noted that it's not NCCPA's job to take on the NPs, just to protect the public by making sure PAs are competent. That is to say, NCCPA doesn't believe it represents PAs at all, but rather serves as a regulatory body, and if we're going to use our certified status as a lever, they're not going to help directly.

On the plus side, apparently NCCPA has been quietly getting rid of specifically allocated director seats in favor of more at-large PA board members, which is a welcome change. I suggested some be elected by certified PAs and physician allocations be sunset as well... but I don't anticipate that happening overnight.

[CAAdmission]

6 hours ago, rev ronin said:

On the plus side, apparently NCCPA has been quietly getting rid of specifically allocated director seats in favor of more at-large PA board members, which is a welcome change. I suggested some be elected by certified PAs and physician allocations be sunset as well... but I don't anticipate that happening overnight.

Hopefully ARC-PA will do the same. 

[Farafish260]

16 hours ago, Reality Check 2 said:

PAFT will struggle because we have no national support. AAPA and NCCPA are tone deaf and ignore the 9000 lb gorilla in the room that is killing our profession. NPs will squash our profession within a decade.

AAPA and NCCPA do NOT represent the majority of PAs in the US.

Many of us quit paying AAPA - why would I give money to an org that doesn’t listen or act on anything of substance?

I am 10 yrs to retirement and hope I am in a solid govt job that will sustain me and has a pension to boot.

We have way too many PA schools, way too many graduates, not enough preceptor sites for good training and not enough jobs. 

The whole profession needs a Come to Glory discussion with a seriously honest reality check of what our future holds and how to change it. 

Fewer schools, improve what we have and focus on precepting but FIRST MAKE THE PROFESSION COMPETITIVE AND VIABLE. 

The NPs will take us out - I am exhausted watching the grossly visible iceberg ahead and hearing those with any power continue to deny its existence.

I completely agree with you and I'm seeing it more and more in the job market as well...people who have been settled into their jobs and coasting for 10+ years are unaware of the shift that's going on. I am seeing jobs post strictly for NPs more and more. In fact many jobs don't even bother including PAs except for one line saying PA-C etc etc...the jobs are targeted to NPs for some reason.

 
PAs have lost the support of MDs and our entire degree us built on on the job training by a physician mentor...we need to create our own residencies with 2+ years of solid training and get involved in research and start publishing on positive patient outcomes when a PA is part of the treatment team, the use usefulness of first assist surgical PAs etc etc....NPs protect NPs...they've been in admin for years it's in their best interest to advocate and hire more NPs and NOT PAs...I wish PA organized and completely dissociated themselves from NPs...we are not the same as them and we don't seem to get it 

Edited May 28, 2023 by Farafish260

[CookiePA]

^^^THIS

NP job postings are far greater than PAs currently. For those hoping that "eventually public will know NPs are bad" do not realize how LATE that realization will be. No hospital or clinic will fire NPs in bulk because of sentiment shift. NPs will infiltrate major systems, they will continue to advocate for NP hires only icing out PAs completely.

PAs need to start getting into admin positions. I can not emphasize this enough. 

Getting into admin has been nothing but an uphill battle for me. It is all political BS and games. Management is not some rocket science that PAs can't handle or have to go get special classes to practice. And let's not undersell ourselves. So many of our colleagues exhibit leadership skills DAILY on the job. Trick is to milk that to the max. 

[CookiePA]

On 5/27/2023 at 4:34 PM, Reality Check 2 said:

PAFT will struggle because we have no national support. AAPA and NCCPA are tone deaf and ignore the 9000 lb gorilla in the room that is killing our profession. NPs will squash our profession within a decade.

AAPA and NCCPA do NOT represent the majority of PAs in the US.

Many of us quit paying AAPA - why would I give money to an org that doesn’t listen or act on anything of substance?

I am 10 yrs to retirement and hope I am in a solid govt job that will sustain me and has a pension to boot.

We have way too many PA schools, way too many graduates, not enough preceptor sites for good training and not enough jobs. 

The whole profession needs a Come to Glory discussion with a seriously honest reality check of what our future holds and how to change it. 

Fewer schools, improve what we have and focus on precepting but FIRST MAKE THE PROFESSION COMPETITIVE AND VIABLE. 

The NPs will take us out - I am exhausted watching the grossly visible iceberg ahead and hearing those with any power continue to deny its existence.

 

Most are busy trying to become directors of PA school # 100,001

Why are we not being capped for opening PA schools ? Did anyone discuss this at AAPA?

Lack of proper preceptor sites that actually grill you are diminishing. Residencies are going to be the PA future to market ourselves against degree mill NPs. So 2yrs MS PA-C + residency 1 yr + 1-3 yr DMSc ...at this point its silly and MD school should be considered. Just my 0.02.

[TWR]

I agree with Farafish that it is time for PA's touting and even supporting NP's in the same sentence.  We are not the same in our schooling and how we practice.  Why do some of us kiss up to them in lauding approval??  I have several good friends that are NP's.  My beef is not with them or their profession but to those of us (PA's) that continue to tout both professions in the same breath.  Just talk about us!!!

[rev ronin]

14 hours ago, CookiePA said:

Why are we not being capped for opening PA schools ? Did anyone discuss this at AAPA?

Of course not, and if someone had, they would have been told that's an ARC-PA issue, not an AAPA issue.

[Reality Check 2]

Siloes - the death of an organization.

We need fewer siloes.

Someone needs to be the Ringmaster of this ........... show.

If every part of the PA world only has its own objectives, then the big picture is lost - as it is now.

 

[CookiePA]

1 hour ago, rev ronin said:

Of course not, and if someone had, they would have been told that's an ARC-PA issue, not an AAPA issue.

Frustrating that it all comes down to $$ and lining pockets. 
ARC PA isnt blind to all it is approving. You’d think someone would stop and say we should not do this.

[rev ronin]

1 hour ago, CookiePA said:

Frustrating that it all comes down to $$ and lining pockets. 
ARC PA isnt blind to all it is approving. You’d think someone would stop and say we should not do this.

It's an interesting system, where one local element benefits from actions that are detrimental to the system as a whole.

[NeoTrion]

I know PAFT still gets their money from me concerning my membership.  I did see they had a booth at AAPA, and of course, I had to stop by.  I hate to see things sunset for PAFT.

[CAAdmission]

17 hours ago, CookiePA said:

Frustrating that it all comes down to $$ and lining pockets. 
ARC PA isnt blind to all it is approving. You’d think someone would stop and say we should not do this.

Do the math. ARC-PA gets 25,000 per program per year to generally treat program faculty like crap. It's a good gig (for jerks). 

[Lbarnum]

On 5/30/2023 at 1:39 AM, CookiePA said:

 

Most are busy trying to become directors of PA school # 100,001

Why are we not being capped for opening PA schools ? Did anyone discuss this at AAPA?

Lack of proper preceptor sites that actually grill you are diminishing. Residencies are going to be the PA future to market ourselves against degree mill NPs. So 2yrs MS PA-C + residency 1 yr + 1-3 yr DMSc ...at this point its silly and MD school should be considered. Just my 0.02.

This is my fear ultimately with the path PA's have chosen. We are now in a situation where we're seen as less trained despite being more trained. The addition of PA residency only dilutes and ultimately undermines the entire profession IMO. We will phase ourselves out with degree creep and adding additional years. We need advocacy that champions the reality as it is, which is PA's come out the factory with more practical medical knowledge than most 1st year residents and gobs more training than most newer NP programs. 

This whole ideology the AAPA has had up to now is that PA's have their place on the team. Except the team based practice or collaborative practice is still not the main model. NPs instead went hard selling themselves as alternative primary care providers. PA's should've done the same. We tip toed around hurting other professions egos and now we're getting suffocated as a result. Its not an us vs them thing either, its just an "us" thing. PA's can't seem to sell themselves as stand alone entities. It's frustrating that literal numbers and facts involving our credentials can't seem to overcome the inertia from the PR groups for NPs and MDs 

[CookiePA]

I will say though Ive been around this forum on/off and the sirens were alarmed way backkkkk.

Just sucks that organizations did not listen to people that were already seeing changes in the systems and hiring processes for PA vs NP due to market dynamics/legislations.

 

So are we all planning our exit? I see few people here going for DMSc, what is everyone else doing? Stick it out til retirement hits?

 

[sas5814]

per my desk blotter I retire in 995 days.

[Cideous]

On 5/27/2023 at 6:56 PM, Hope2PA said:

PAFT gave up on the future when they caved regarding title change.  

Winner Winner.....Chickens had their dinner.............and choked on it.

[Joelseff]

On 6/8/2023 at 10:06 AM, CookiePA said:

...So are we all planning our exit? I see few people here going for DMSc, what is everyone else doing? Stick it out til retirement hits?

 

That is MY plan...

[Reality Check 2]

My frustration with and for the profession grows but I cannot formulate a rational method of intervention. Plainly, I feel pretty damn helpless.

AAPA doesn’t listen to anyone and muddles through the parliamentary procedures as if nothing is happening. NCCPA wants our money and to “protect society from us” which still boggles my mind. 

Why anyone would want to go to one of the nearing 400 PA schools for $125K - $150K in debt hearing any of this boggles me as well.

Daily I watch NPs completely BOTCH medical art and practice - though I work with some stellar NPs as well. And some pretty sketchy MDs - medical practice seems to be messed up on all fronts. 

I have about 10 years to go and just hang on each day. Don’t know what it will take to convince anyone at a national level that the high speed downhill off the rails on fire train is really happening.

Just mind boggling