During the year I served as President of the NCAPA from 1979-80, one of the professional groups I reached out to was the NC Medical Society (NCMS). We had asked several influential NCMS physician members to be “advisors” to our organization and, in return, the NCMS allowed me to serve as a PA “advisor” to them, attending their annual meeting and being part of their Allied Health Committee. It was the first time the NCMS formally recognized our professional organization.
Over time incremental improvements occurred. Under Bob Seligson’s reign as CEO and Executive VP of the NCMS and with PA Debbie Hauser’s involvement, the NCMS established a PA Section which gave us representation to the House of Delegates, to the officers and staff and, essentially, to all the benefits of the NCMS. And, here’s the most important benefit----PAs are MEMBERS of the NCMS. There are only a handful of state medical societies which provide membership to PAs. Bob Seligson and the NCMS Board of Directors are fully supportive of our profession. From my perspective, we would be professionally short-sighted not to fully embrace and nurture that relationship.
It took me a while to get back on track with the NCMS and I finally joined as a PA member in the mid 90’s. Several years after that I decided to serve more completely and was elected Chair of the PA Section. Our small section then initiated a teen suicide prevention program, receiving support from some teen suicide prevention advocacy groups, from the NCMS staff and from the NCAPA officers and Board of Directors. For the first time, it was our PA Section which offered a CME program at the NCMS Annual Meeting through this teen suicide prevention project. History was made again when Justine Strand was elected as the first PA President of the NCMS Foundation Board. This past year the NCMS approved PAs to be part of their Legislative “Doctor of the Day” program and we (the PA Section) took part in their “White Coat Wednesday” day at the NC Legislature. More recently, the NCMS then sustained their history of supporting PAs by asking me to become the second PA on the NCMS Foundation Board.
With all the benefits we have through a NCMS collaborative relationship, I’ve been surprised at the small percentage of PAs who have chosen to be members of the NCMS compared to the NCAPA. Having been a member of both the NCAPA and the NCMS and having served each organization, it seems to me that being a member of both professional groups is actually a way for us to potentiate our influence and participation in the health care arena. In fact, I believe that it is just as important to support the NCMS as it is to support the NCAPA. We will be better equipped to grow in the future health care environment if we serve the PA profession as well as the medical profession. One of the reasons the climate for PA professional growth in North Carolina remains so positive is because the NCAPA and PAs have been supported by the NCMS (and the NC Medical Board). We serve one master---patients---and it is not a choice about serving one group over another. We are professionals in our own right but we continue to work with physicians in a supervisory / collaborative role. We do not exist and do not work without them.
In May 2007 a meeting took place in Raleigh between Mike Borden and Jeff Katz representing the NCAPA, several NCMS staff and myself. Our goal was to cultivate a closer affiliation between the NCMS and NCAPA, especially the PA components. With the NCMS PA Section looking to develop a new project targeting obesity, it seemed fitting that the NCAPA would be part of this public health initiative. In addition, we encouraged a meeting between Mike Borden and Bob Seligson as representatives of each of our respective groups. That has taken place and I am confident a more inclusive bond will develop from their discussions.
What do I believe is necessary to maximize our potential growth and insure success? Personally, I’d like to see every NCAPA member also be a NCMS member. How can we more easily encourage that? One way would be to establish a joint NCAPA / NCMS membership, giving a discount for that joint membership. Being a member of the NCAPA and the NCMS means that we believe in the future of physician assistants and we believe in the collaborative relationship of physicians and PAs. While there are probably going to be dissenting opinions, among you and among the NCAPA officers and Board members, I see this proposal as one where everybody becomes better. What do you think?
Let me know: jehilljr@mindspring.com.
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