ADVANCE Blog for PAs : Conference

An AFPPA Success

Terri Schaefer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:57:00 GMT

I'm back in Pennsylvania after two days at the AFPPA Fall CME Conference and Exhibition at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix. Upon my arrival at the conference, I was excited to hear the organization had broken all previous attendance records, with...(read more)

AAPA Town Hall Meeting Wrap

Terri Schaefer — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:46:00 GMT

Late yesterday afternoon, AAPA president Cindy Lord, president-elect Steve Hanson and CEO Bill Leinweber were panelists at the academy’s inaugural Town Hall meeting. Questions of any sort were encouraged from the in-person audience, as well as from participants...(read more)

AAPA Treasurer's Report

Michael Gerchufsky — Sat, 23 May 2009 23:38:00 GMT

One fascinating annual presentation at the AAPA HOD that we at ADVANCE try not to miss is the treasurer's report. Bruce Fichandler, PA, manages to simultaneously cram the report with humor and a large amount of data about the finances of the academy....(read more)

AAPA San Diego Update

Michael Gerchufsky — Sat, 23 May 2009 23:13:00 GMT

Saturday has been a busy day so far at the AAPA Conference. At the general session this morning, AAPA president Cindy Lord promised that PAs no longer will be the "curious omission" in discussions of policy and public awareness. Later, CEO Bill Leinweber...(read more)

AAPA Conference Begins Saturday

Michael Gerchufsky — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:51:00 GMT

The ADVANCE for Physician Assistants staff is headed to San Diego for the annual AAPA conference. Keep up with conference events on here on the ADVANCE blog for PAs , at our Facebook page and on our Twitter feed. For an audio preview, listen to editor...(read more)

AFPPA Spring Live Blog

Michael Gerchufsky — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:22:00 GMT

ORLANDO — Unofficial reports are that 310 PAs have preregistered for the 2nd annual AFPPA Spring Conference, with a large number of walkups expected, too. This reflects the trend of booming PA confernce attendance despite the sour economy — ADVANCE's coverage from a year ago of the "Conference Craze" still stands up.

Link to "Conference Craze"

Link to AFPPA

American Academy of Physician Assistants Conference IMPACT 2009

Stephen Cornell — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:05:00 GMT

The American Academy of Physician Assistants put together a nice preliminary program for its May 2009 conference in San Diego. This passage is from AAPA president Cindy Lord's front-page conference preview.

... For so many years, we have fought for recognition as part of the health care team. A physician shortage and talk of health care reform have raised our profile in the debate over how to fix our country’s health care system. We must seize this opportunity to step to the front and let the country know that we are ready to accept this greater role.
This year, thousands of PAs will meet in San Diego for AAPA’s Annual Conference. This is perhaps the most important conference in the Academy’s history. AAPA staff and volunteers have been working feverishly to redefine the AAPA name and raise its prominence as an organization. The fruits of this labor will be realized at Annual Conference. By the time you leave conference, there will be no doubt that Annual Conference is the number one place to connect with colleagues, exchange ideas, and reaffirm our profession’s mission. You and the profession as a whole will not be the same after experiencing the significant IMPACT of the NEW AAPA at AAPA’s 37th Annual PA Conference.

The annual AAPA conference is always outstanding, but it sounds as if the academy is putting extra effort into 2009.

I am looking forward to it already. Only 92 days to go ...

Link

12 Physician Assistant Moments for 2008

Stephen Cornell — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:07:00 GMT

This is the 448th and final post to the ADVANCE Blog for PAs in 2008. Check back on Jan. 2 for the first blog post of 2009.

Until then, here's a quick look back at some of the notable PA stories of the last year.

***

January
Annals of Family Medicine publishes a study that concludes, “Family practices employing NPs performed better than those with physicians only and those employing PAs.”
Link

February
Bill Leinweber officially joins the AAPA as its CEO and executive vice president.
Link

March
For the first time, ARC-PA grants accreditation to two clinical postgraduate PA programs: the MD Anderson Cancer Center postgraduate PA program in oncology and the Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Surgery postgraduate PA surgical residency.
Link

April
The Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants draws a record 400 PAs to its annual conference in Tucson, Ariz. Despite the shaky economy, many PA state and specialty conferences continue to draw crowds.
Link

May
PA Karen Bass is sworn in as the first African-American woman to serve as the speaker of California’s General Assembly.
Link

June
The Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants launches its Distance Learning Initiative to provide advanced training to experienced dermatology PAs.
Link

July
The NCCPA posts information about the new practice-focused PANRE on its Web site. Beginning in March 2009, PAs will be able to take recertification exams with some of the content focused on one of three areas: adult medicine, primary care or surgery.
Link

August
The Journal of Physician Assistant Education publishes a study about PA perceptions regarding entry-level doctorate degrees for the profession. The authors conclude that PAs participating in the study “do not favor the profession moving toward offering a DPA degree.”
Link

September
The number of accredited PA programs reaches an all-time high of 142.
Link

October
The Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants and ADVANCE name Washington PA Tom Hughes as the fourth Family Practice PA of the Year.
Link

November
AAPA president-elect Paul Robinson dies suddenly while returning from a meeting in Florida.
Link

December
California PA Steve Hanson wins a special election held to fill the vacant position of president-elect.
Link

IMPACT 2009

Stephen Cornell — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:36:00 GMT

The 2009 AAPA conference in San Diego is less than six months away. The AAPA is already hyping it, and a conference brochure arrived in the ADVANCE for Physician Assistants mailbox this afternoon.

AAPA's 37th Annual PA Conference is not one to miss! The exciting new look, though dramatic, is just a small indicator of the monumental changes AAPA is undergoing to culminate in a grand reveal of "the New AAPA" at annual conference next May.
We have much in store for you that will significantly IMPACT you, your practice and everyday life as a physician assistant which will result in better patience care… Do not miss this conference!

As I've said many times before, I'm a huge fan of the conference. There's nothing else like it in the PA profession.

I've been to the last 12 AAPA conferences, I'm looking forward to No. 13.

Only 178 days left. The conference officially begins at 9 a.m. on May 23.

Link

A Physician Story About Dr. Stead

Stephen Cornell — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:58:00 GMT

From ADVANCE for Physician Assistants editor Michael Gerchufsky:

MIAMI—Here in Miami at the inaugural Aesthetic Extender Symposium (http://www.aestheticextendersymposium.com/) , I just got a rare treat: I heard a story involving Dr. Eugene Stead that I had never before heard. AES is a four-day course specifically for PAs and NPs presenting the spectrum of topics in aesthetic medicine, and co-founded by ADVANCE editorial advisory board member Krystie P. Lennox, PA-C.

Mark Tager, MD, is an accomplished physicians who is the chief marketing officer for Syneron Medical, and he previously had served in senior managerial positions at Reliant Technologies, where he was involved in the introduction of the Fraxel Laser.

To illustrate his respect for (and understanding of) PAs, Dr. Tager recounted one of his experiences at Duke University. During rounds, Dr. Tager and other accompanying Dr. Stead stopped at the bedside of a particular patient. Dr. Stead explained that the patient had worked all his life at a job that required hard manual labor. Dr. Stead asked the group on rounds who knew how long the patient had been in the hospital. The interns looked around, shrugging their shoulders. Nobody could hazard a guess. Until a PA felt the patient's feet and then spoke up, declaring with certainty the exact number of days the patient had been there. Dr. Stead beamed.

The PA had been a corpsman in Vietnam and had treated so many soldiers with combat-boot-related foot problems, that he could simply observe the softness of the calluses on the man's feet to ascertain how long he'd been in a hospital bed.

Great story.

Nice Job by Pa. PAs

Stephen Cornell — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:42:00 GMT

The Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants had a successful conference last week. PSPA drew more than 500 PAs and PA students to its annual conference in King of Prussia, Pa.

From what I'm hearing, the weak economy is not hurting attendance at state and specialty PA conferences.

Link

Future AFPPA Conferences

Stephen Cornell — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:29:00 GMT

The Association of Family Practice PAs is looking for input on future conference locations and content.

Link

AFPPA's upcoming conferences are in San Diego in October and Orlando in March 2009.

Physician Assistants for Global Health Conference

Stephen Cornell — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:20:00 GMT

Physician Assistants for Global Health (PAGH) is holding a conference in Albuquerque, N.M., from Oct. 18-19.

Purpose
This conference was developed to provide a general overview of some specific issues in global health service to the poor populations in developing or developed countries worldwide. The information presented is a major part of the ongoing educational initiatives by PAGH to help enhance the knowledge and skills of those who serve.

PAs for Global Health Web site

Conference brochure: Global Health for Medical Professionals: Tropical Medicine, Infectious Disease, and Wilderness/Emergency Medicine

Flashy New Logos

Stephen Cornell — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:17:00 GMT

Check out the slick new logos for the AAPA conference. Although I liked the old-style logos, I also think the academy was probably due for a change.

Square logo on right side of home page

Top banner logo

The conference will be in San Diego from May 23-28, 2009.

PA Conference Guide Updated

Stephen Cornell — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:51:00 GMT

ADVANCE's online PA conference guide is now updated through December.

Link