PA vs MD from patient's point of view...

[SERENITY NOW]

a 3 minute youtube video... (please excuse the poor language)

 

 

The public's ignorance remains high, and this is a perfect example of it. My own family, despite being educated and reasonable people, shared these misconceptions about the PA profession for a long time. So, I don't think the issue is people being intentionally ignorant, but I don't really know where the problem lies. The PA profession has been around for decades, so what has it been doing wrong?

 

It seems that everybody's finger points at the AAPA. What exactly have they been doing wrong? Where have their focuses been, and where should they have been? What should they be doing in the future to address the ignorance about PAs in our society?

 

I really appreciate the input here. I have been immersing myself in PA issues for the past 4-5 years, but I am not familiar with the history of this issue of ignorance and the history of the AAPA, and it isn't easy to scrounge up this kind of info from google.

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

Um, they closed down their PR committee in 2010 because it wasn't doing anything. So before, it was useless, now they don't have any PR. So...

[burnpac]

Um, they closed down their PR committee in 2010 because it wasn't doing anything. So before, it was useless, now they don't have any PR. So...

 

Don't confuse having a "PR Committee" with action on PR. The AAPA actively and continually works on public relation issues through the staff.

[jsfelder0417]

I've seen that video before, and from the language of it, I believe it is some self important pre med or med student that holds a grudge against PAs. I didn't take offense to it, because it is ridiculous, but it paints the PA profession in a bad light to the uninitiated, and I did take exception to that. I have seen the AAPA advocate for PA's, but it has been few and far between. Frankly, the position that the AAPA takes in individual promotion and education is a terrible disappointment. I am hoping to see good things out of PAFT and have joined them in lieu of the AAPA.

[burnpac]

I've seen that video before, and from the language of it, I believe it is some self important pre med or med student that holds a grudge against PAs. I didn't take offense to it, because it is ridiculous, but it paints the PA profession in a bad light to the uninitiated, and I did take exception to that. I have seen the AAPA advocate for PA's, but it has been few and far between. Frankly, the position that the AAPA takes in individual promotion and education is a terrible disappointment. I am hoping to see good things out of PAFT and have joined them in lieu of the AAPA.

 

I don't know where the notion of individual promotion as the only activity of the AAPA got started, but it is flat wrong. There is continuous activity on multiple levels actively being pursued by staff and leaders, 24/7. Examples of this and commentary on this issue in numerous other posts I have made on this subject in the past can be found by looking at my past posts. I won't bore anyone by rehashing them here.

[jsfelder0417]

I did not say that individual promotion and education was the only action of the AAPA. I agreed that I have seen the AAPA work to promote the profession, and clarify errors in reporting. However, I believe in and support a more aggressive promotion of the profession. I see that in PAs For Tomorrow. I didn't see that from the AAPA. That's why I joined PAFT.