South Carolina PA History
The South Carolina Academy of Physicians has an interesting "History of SCAPA" section on its Web site. I think that it really illustrates how the profession has matured over the last 20 years.
In the mid-1980’s, SCAPA was in shambles. The PA program had closed in 1983 due to lack of federal funding and SCAPA’s assets were kept in a cardboard box. Gene O’Conner handed the box over to a young rising PA, Mike Taylor, and told him, "You young people better take over or this organization is going to die."
II The Vision of Mike Taylor, the 1980s
Mike Taylor was a visionary. He had a dream of revitalizing SCAPA and growing the profession in the state. By 1985, there were only about 30 PAs total in the state. At the time of this writing in 2006, there are over 500.
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