A Word From Our President

July 1, 2008 Dear Friends and Colleagues, It is with a great sense of professional pride and personal humility that I assume the responsibility of President of the Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants (AFPPA). This is a crowning moment in my 10-year association with the AFPPA. What an awesome experience this has been and continues to be. I think the most impressive part of this association is the great people that make up our membership. I have met people from every state in this great country and some from other countries. I have found at our conferences, PAs and NPs not only working in family practice, but other specialties such as pediatrics, women’s health, orthopedics, cardiology, internal medicine, gastroenterology and others. I used to ask why they would come to our conferences. I soon learned that they came because they could get better continuing education here than anywhere else and because they want to associate with you, the membership of the AFPPA. You are a great bunch of professionals. This all started with Judi Colver, Blaine Carmichael and a few other interested individuals in 1997. This year, our membership has exceeded 1,000. An amazing number! Many have come and gone, but the value of our association with each other increases every year. By my calculations and as of July 1st, this puts the AFPPA in its 12th year. Congratulations AFPPA! This year, the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) estimates that there are over 68,000 PAs practicing in the United States. The census information they publish indicates that approximately 25% of PAs practice in family medicine. When you consider pediatrics and women’s health as primary care, there are close to 20,000 PAs involved in providing primary care for the people of this nation. We have an amazing opportunity to impact the health and well being of so many people. There is a need for compassionate medical care where a patient can trust and have confidence in the person providing that care. That is what we are good at. Countless times, I have heard patients say how much they love their PA and that they prefer to see their PA. That doesn’t happen by accident. It is inherent in our training and our profession. We expect to see continued growth in the AFPPA, not only in membership, but in our conference attendance. Now with two CME conferences per year, we are reaching out to primary care PAs everywhere – bringing the best speakers from around the country to provide you and me with the most current and up-to-date clinical information possible. Equally amazing is the number of Nurse Practitioners that are joining us at our conferences (and membership too) for the very same reasons. We have included NPs as speakers at our conferences and expect to continue to enjoy our association with them. Welcome to the 2008-2009 year with the AFPPA. I look forward to meeting you and working with you to continue the amazing achievements of this great organization. Warmest Regards, Jim Meeks, PA-C, DFAAPA President AFPPA 2008-2009