AAPA Membership Trends

I agree with Glen Combs.  The PA profession currently practices adjacent to our fellow colleagues performing the same functions in primary care practices, and the specialty environments the practicing PA managing hepatitis B treatment in gastroenterology, managing hypolipedia in cardiology, managing bone transplants in radiology, or managing d. mellitus in endocrinology.  As a primary care PA and member of the AAPA, the complexity as well as illnesses' acuity I routinely examine in internal medicine patients has been routine to admit our patients to inpatient environments as most internal medicine is practiced in the outpatient environments.  Our patients admitted to our inpatient facility often req Hx, PE, Dx and post Tx.  

In large inpatient facilities, these patients are assigned to an inpatient medical team, and in community clinics, these patients are admitted to one or more multipractice teams or rotates in turn with the practicing PAs; thus it has been routine patients are assigned to hospices who practice in our inpatient facilities, and discharge our patients to the practicing PA on a medical team which practices in the outpatient facilities.  

As a dedicated and loyal member of the AAPA, I would offer one reason that the AAPA membership numbers are not as high as they should be.  The PA profession is no longer thirsty for advancement.  No state legislation battles, no prescribing authority issues and an acceptance of current reimbursement policies.  We need a new target list of critical events that would benefit the nation and the profession.  The need for crisis intervention always helps to raise membership.  Reiventing a top 10 list of desired achievements would get more attention from non-members. Perhaps the "new AAPA" will target areas of concern.