NAPA members can now earn Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit hours online on the NAPA website. This is the first time we are offering this benefit to our members and we are pleased to be able to support the Navy's PAs by helping them obtain the CMEs required for certification maintenance.   6.75 total hours of AAPA approved category 1 CME are offered for calendar year 2018. To earn credit, NAPA members should log in and click the CME option on the "Members" menu. From there, the available CMEs are listed. Each has a recorded lecture from the 2017 NAPA East Coast Symposium, which should be viewed and then the check-on-learning questions answered. A CME Certificate will be provided for each lecture they successfully complete with a greater than 80% score. The recipient may then log these with NCCPA as usual for CMEs.  

PAs have been providing valuable service in American Healthcare for the past 50 years. PAs are nationally certified and state licensed medical providers trained to diagnose and treat patients as well as prescribe medication. Thanks to an education modeled on the medical school curriculum, PAs learn to make life-saving diagnostic and therapeutic decisions while working autonomously or in collaboration with other members of the healthcare team. PAs are certified as medical generalists with a foundation in primary care.     America Needs PAs PAs are trusted healthcare providers. Studies have shown that PAs help reduce hospital readmission rates, lengths of stay and infection rates. Today, there are more than 115,500 certified PAs in the United States   Click here to download a brochure about PAs in American Healthcare from the American Academy of PAs

October 6-12 is national PA Week This week is an opportunity to celebrate the PA profession which was begun 50 years ago, on 6 October 1967, with the first three graduates of Duke University's PA program. Since that time, the profession has grown significantly: There are now more than 115,000 practicing PAs in the US alone, and the profession is expanding to other countries. PAs practice and prescribe in all 50 states. There are now more than 220 PA programs educating future PAs.   WHAT IS A PA? PAs are nationally certified and state licensed medical providers trained to diagnose and treat patients as well as prescribe medication. Thanks to an education modeled on the medical school curriculum, PAs learn to make life-saving diagnostic and therapeutic decisions while working autonomously or in collaboration with other members of the healthcare team. PAs are certified as medical generalists with a foundation in...

Physician Assistant Subspecialty Code = 1893 Billets: Primary - 284; Secondary - About 115 “Mob To” platforms End Strength = 304 Billets types: USMC: 68 Joint Forces: 2 MTF: 170 (includes 21 Ortho and 07 EMED) Operational: 45 (includes 25 SPECWAR, 11 Sea, 9 APA)     Specialty Spotlight: Physician Assistant by CDR Ed Owens and LCDR Clifton Butler The Navy has provided the backbone of the Physician Assistant (PA) profession since its inception in 1967. This year, the PA profession celebrates 50 years of existence and will officially celebrate the birth of the profession on 6 October 2017. While the PA profession officially marks 50 years, Navy PAs have an equally impressive history, beginning their presence seven short years later in 1974. Originally appointed as warrant officers, the community was tasked with providing primary care services to Navy and Marine Corps forces. An incorporation of mid-level providers was thus...

The Navy Medical Service Corps was created on 4 August 1947 by an  act of the United States Congress. Originally it had four specialist sections: Supply and Administration, Optometry, Allied Sciences, and Pharmacy. Currently, the Navy Medical Service Corps has three sections: Healthcare Administration, Healthcare Sciences, and Clinical Care Providers. Healthcare Administrators comprise approximately 40% of the MSC Healthcare Sciences are subdivided into the following fields of specialty: Aerospace Experimental Psychology Aerospace Physiology Biochemistry Entomology Environmental Health Industrial Hygiene Medical Technology Microbiology Research Physiology Radiation Health Research Psychology Clinical Care Providers are subdivided into the following fields of specialty: Audiology Clinical Psychology Dietitian/Food Management Occupational Therapy Optometry Pharmacy Physical Therapy Physician Assistant Podiatry Social Work The Medical Service Corps is the most diverse Corps in the Navy with over 2,700 highly trained and specialized officers serving in 31 subspecialties.     Following is a reprinted message from the Medical Service...

Legislative Affairs Update From the 2017 NAPA Breakout Meeting at the AAPA Conference Presented by LT Thomas Hurtado NAPA Legislative Affairs Chair and Delegate to AAPA House of Delegates   Full Practice Authority and Responsibility (FPAR): An AAPA joint task force was put together, formerly known as FPAR, and now being proposed as Optimal Team Practice (OTP). Placed before the AAPA House of Delegates in order to advance the PA profession in several key issues: Team-Based Practice Elimination of "Supervisory Agreements" Autonomous State Boards Direct Reimbursements   Earlier this year there was a nationwide survey collating PA responses to the new proposal with an overwhelming positive support.     Federal Advocacy: Additionally, there are several key issues at the federal level that AAPA will address. Most of these revolve around barriers to access in patient care or areas where PAs have traditionally been hindered from practicing medicine at the level...

Editor's note: This article appears in the Journal of Health and Human Experience, Volume III, No. 1, pp 77-99, under the title "Empathy and Dedication: Hospital Corpsmen to Physician Assistants - A Wasted Talent Pool in a Time of Need", by a NAPA member David Lash. It is reproduced here in fulll with the permission of the Journal and the Author. You may download a PDF version with retains the original article layout here .   Empathy and Dedication: Hospital Corpsmen to Physician Assistants - A Wasted Talent Pool in a Time of Need   David Lash, MPAS Physician Assistant Veterans Health Administration Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center   Author Note This article provides an important insight into the critical role of physician assistants for American health care. The article makes use of a creative combination of academic reflections combined with historical experiences (see below “newscasts”) from the lives...

The NAPA Board of Directors recently met and voted to amend NAPA's Constitution and Bylaws, which were subsequently approved and adopted by the Board of Directors. The most substantial change is to establish Regional Affiliates of NAPA: NAPA East (covers locations associated with NAVMEDEAST) NAPA West (covers locations associated with NAVMEDWEST) The new By-Laws also establish the Leadership Positions for the Regional Affiliates of President, Vice-President, and Secretary (2 year terms). Additional details and an organizational chart of NAPA leadership may be found here . NAPA’s current leadership may be found hereNAPA’s current leadership may be found here . Additionally, this realignment provides room for Regional leadership expansion through Regional ad-hoc committees. You may find a copy of NAPA's Constitution and By-Laws here .   NAPA has updated its organization to regionally align with Navy Medicine East and Navy Medicine West. NAPA's regional affiliates, NAPA East and NAPA West, will...

Election Results and Awards From the 2017 NAPA Breakout Meeting at the AAPA Conference Presented by LT Ari Doucette NAPA Vice President and Awards Chair   This is the text of a presentation given at the NAPA Breakout Meeting at the 2017 AAPA Impact Conference in Las Vegas, NV. NAPA members may log in and  view the presentation slides here .   Election Results One position was up for election this year: President-Elect We received a nomination for one candidate who met requirements. LT Michelle Miller will be NAPA’s 2017-2018 President-Elect   Awards Three nominees were put forward for awards this year, for: NAPA Excellence NAPA Leadership NAPA Lifetime Achievement Excellence Award This award honors an outstanding Navy Physician Assistant during the current year. Nominees must be on active duty or in the reserves. Current NAPA BOD Officers are not eligible. Candidates are considered on the basis of demonstrated leadership,...

Reserve PA Update From the 2017 NAPA Breakout Meeting at the AAPA Conference Presented by LCDR Clifton Butler NAPA President 2016-2017   This is the text of a presentation given at the NAPA Breakout Meeting at the 2017 AAPA Impact Conference in Las Vegas, NV. NAPA members may log in and  view the presentation slides here .   ORGANIZATION OF RESERVES   Purpose of The Reserve Component Support Navy Medicine through: Integration Augmentation Sustainment Medical support Reserve Utilization PROGRAM MOB MISSION OPERATIONAL SUPPORT EMF (4) Commissioned Units 500 bed Combat Zone Hospital Train for MOB COCOM support MTF / NDC Support Program 32 (MTF) NR Naval Hospital (8) Care of returning casualties Train for MOB MTF / NDC Support Program 9 MARFORRES Deploy with / for AC Medical support for Marines Train for MOB Support Marine exercises     Who makes up the PA Reserve Component? Civilian PAs with related...

Presidential State of NAPA Address From the 2017 NAPA Breakout Meeting at the AAPA Conference Presented by LCDR Clifton Butler NAPA President 2016-2017   This is the text of a presentation given at the NAPA Breakout Meeting at the 2017 AAPA Impact Conference in Las Vegas, NV. NAPA members may log in and view the presentation slides here .   NAPA Objectives The Primary objectives of NAPA are to Promote the training an efficient utilization of Physician Assistants in the United States Navy; To encourage the highest quality of medical care through the process of continuing education of the membership and general public To represent the Physician Assistants of the United States Navy within the American Academy of Physician Assistants.   NAPA Purpose The purposes of NAPA are: To render honest and loyal service to the medical profession and to the public, To develop and enforce continuing education programs for...

​ The Naval Association of PAs will hold its annual breakout meeting at the 2017 AAPA conference on 16 May 2017 in the Breakers L room from 07:30 to 12:00 Local. The schedule and agenda follow. TIME ​AGENDA ITEM ​ ​ ​ ​ PRESENTER ​0730 - 0800 ​NAPA Sign in and PA Meet and Greet ​ALL HANDS ​0800 - 0805 ​Welcome and Introduction of the NAPA Board of ...

  Editor's Note: This article was writen by Harbert, Ivory, Davis, and Hillegas and appears below with only spelling and punctuation changes from the original. A scanned copy of the original is available here: https://navypa.com/files/article_files/NAPA_CORPSMAN_UP_.pdf Please do not overlook or miss the excellent content for the grammar and s...

Full Practice Authority and Responsibility The Joint Task Force Proposal: Optimal Team Practice The Naval Association of Physician Assistants supports the progression of the physician assistant profession, the work accomplished by the AAPA Joint Task Force, as it relates to Full Practice Authority and Responsibility (FPAR), and the final position o...

Editor's note: This article first appeared on AAPA.org as part of a series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the PA profession. Before he retired, Rear Admiral Michael Milner was one of the highest-ranking federal service PAs in the country. In addition to serving as chief health services officer in the United States Public Health Service, he a...