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Press Releases

Physician Assistants in Plastic Surgery

• Physician assistants (PAs) play a vital role in the US health care system, particularly amid the persistent surgeon shortage and escalating health care demands.

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Providing care in under resourced areas: contribution of the physician assistant/associate workforce

• Prior studies suggest that physician assistants/associates (PAs) are more likely than physicians to work in underresourced areas.

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Why I Volunteer: Patrick Coty, PA-C, MS

• Patrick Coty, PA-C, MS, is a Board Certified PA with 24 years of experience, who currently practices as a Senior PA in kidney and pancreas transplant care

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Meet the PA Ambassadors

• Meet Ashley Drapeau, PA-C, L.Ac., MPAS, MAC, and Olatunde "Tunde" Oshikoya, DMSc-S, MPAS, PA-C, two NCCPA PA Ambassadors who champion our profession. Each month, we will continue to highlight new PA Ambassadors.

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Two PA Friends, Two Test-Taking Styles

• PANRE v PANRE-LA: Ashley Nordan, MHPE, MSCR, MPAP, PA-C, and Jamie Harding, MPAP, PA-C, have been best friends since their days as students at Campbell University’s PA Program, class of 2013. Two PA Friends, Two Test-Taking Styles

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PAs Report High Engagement with Mental Health Patients

• PAs play an important role in addressing the nation’s mental health crisis, according to the latest NCCPA specialty report.

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Deadline Approaching: Join the PA History Society Board

• Apply to join the PA History Society Board of Trustees in 2025!

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Why I Volunteer: Christine Fuller, MHS, PA-C

• Check out our "Why I Volunteer" series and hear from Christine Fuller, MHS, PA-C on why she volunteers with NCCPA.

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Meet the PA Ambassadors

• The PA Ambassador Program brings together Board Certified PAs who collaborate with NCCPA to offer information, contribute ideas and promote the value of the PA profession.

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Three PA Students Awarded NCCPA Endowed Scholarships

• The PA Foundation recognized three 2024 NCCPA Endowed Scholarship recipients for their dedication to the profession and commitment to health-related community service. This year’s recipients are Thi Tran from the University of Nevada, Reno; Ginikachukwu Mgbenka from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Alexis Newton from the USC Keck School of Medicine.

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PA Offers Strategies for Dealing with Racist Patients and Bias in Health Care

• Health care professionals often face challenging situations, including dealing with racism and discrimination from their patients.

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PAs Practicing in Psychiatry on the Rise, Filling Critical Gap

• The percentage of PAs working in psychiatry has nearly doubled from 1.1% (630) in 2013 to 2% (2,262) in 2021, newly published research in the BMC Human Resources for Health journal shows.

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The Influence of Patient Care, Shadowing, and Volunteer Experience on Diverse Applicant Matriculation Into PA Programs

• To better understand factors contributing to low matriculation rates for health professions students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine (URiM), this study examined the influence of healthcare-related preadmission experiences on physician assistant/associate (PA) program matriculation.

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PAs’ perspective on leadership in medicine

• This study evaluated physician associate/assistant (PA) training and confidence in leadership and leadership skills, as well as where best to incorporate leadership training for the profession.

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Why I Volunteer: Russell Brandwein, MS, PA-C, AACC

• Russell Brandwein, MS, PA-C, AACC, has embarked on a fulfilling career in cardiology and interventional cardiology. We asked Brandwein to share a bit about himself and his volunteering experience with PANRE/PANRE-LA.

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Meet Two PA Ambassadors

• Meet Aaron P. Henry, MSHS, PA-C, and Janet Rippel, MSPAS, PA-C, two NCCPA PA Ambassadors who champion our profession. Each month, we will highlight new PA Ambassadors.

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PA Spotlight PA Embodies Pride and Professionalism

• Each year, Pride Month shines a light on the vibrant spectrum of LGBTQ+ experiences. We turn our spotlight on Rea Whitman, MPAS, PA-C, RRT, a 42-year-old Filipina immigrant, LGBTQ+ advocate, and disabled Army veteran.

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PA-C Career Center: Connecting Talent

• Whether you’re a new graduate or an experienced Board Certified PA in your professional journey, NCCPA provides an online hub that may open doors to numerous career opportunities through its PA-C Career Center.

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NCCPA Empowers PAs at AAPA 2024

• NCCPA was a proud sponsor of AAPA 2024 in Houston, where about 5,000 Board Certified PAs, PA students, pre-PAs, speakers and exhibitors came together.

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PAs at REPRESENT! NCCPA Summit® To Advance Diversity

• The REPRESENT! NCCPA Summit aims to equip attendees with best practices to develop and sustain DEI efforts within PA organizations and workplaces, promote inclusivity within PA educational and professional communities and diversify the PA workforce to address health equity gaps.

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Top 3 Lifestyle Changes to Lower High Blood Pressure

• Maddison Heyn, PA-C, DipACLM, offers insight into her top three lifestyle changes that can help lower high blood pressure.

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Advantage to PAs in Pay Negotiations: Medscape Physician Assistant Compensation Report 2024

• A Medscape survey found that physicians assistants (PAs) enjoyed a good year on the salary front in 2023. Marketplace factors seem to tilt in favor of Pas who are searching for a first job or considering a new employer.

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Why I Volunteer: Mark Aksamit, MPAS, PA-C, CAQ-Psych

• Meet Mark Aksamit, MPAS, PA-C, CAQ-Psychiatry, a Board Certified PA specializing in psychiatry. He also serves as an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and is actively volunteering with NCCPA.

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Prevention Strategies to Avoid PA Burnout

• Jessica Spissinger, LICSW, PA-C, CAQ-Psychiatry delves into the hidden toll burnout takes on the well-being of PAs.

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231+ Black healthcare leaders to know | 2024

• Becker's is thrilled to honor these Black healthcare leaders. The leaders featured on this list are shaping the patient experience, educating and training the next generation of healthcare providers, and furthering equity and inclusion.

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PA Advocates for Expansion of Palliative Medicine and Hospice Care Specialty

• Ryan Baldeo, MPAS, MSPC, PA-C, FAAHPM is dedicated to improving access to quality serious illness and end-of-life care

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New CAQ in OBGYN Now Available

• Board Certified PAs practicing in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) can now earn a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) to document their expertise in this specialty.

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Life Outside the Clinic: Predictors of PA Work-Life Balance

• Before starting her presentation on factors affecting physician associate's (PA's) work-life balance at the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) 2024 Conference & Expo in Houston, Mirela Bruza-Augatis, PhD, MS, PA-C, a researcher at the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), took a moment to play "Get Back Up Again," a song from the popular children's movie Trolls.

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Physician assistant work-life balance in 13 numbers

• More than 28% of physician assistants reported being dissatisfied with their work-life balance, Medscape reported May 24. The findings come from a survey of nearly 86,000 physician assistants and quantitative data from 2023 National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

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PA Workforce Growing, But Diversity Lags

• While the PA profession is rapidly growing, a new study in the Journal of Medical Regulation, published by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), suggests that efforts to increase diversity within the field haven't kept pace with this overall expansion.

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