With the new year comes a sense of new beginnings. We start exercise programs and make New Year’s resolutions. All of us look forward to what this next year may bring. This year as an academy we too are looking forward to an exciting year of challenges and changes to the PA profession in Wisconsin. Each January we hear from our political leaders a State of the Union or State of the State address. I would like to provide a State of the Academy address.
WAPA remains a strong academy that is in good financial shape. We have been able to grow our membership over the past several years and we seem to be doing an excellent job of keeping our student members as fellow members once they graduate. Membership is important to our organization and I ask all members of the academy to ask the fellow PAs that you work with to get their membership applications in early this year. This is an important time as we emphasize our membership numbers to legislators who we will be working with to get the Physician Assistant Health Care Access Act passed. (See the Legislative Update in this issue.) Our membership committee is an important part of the academy as we are only a strong voice when our membership remains strong.
For the last couple of years we have been discussing plans to introduce new legislation that will allow PAs the ability to order physical therapy, participate in DOT medical specialty examinations, and other common medical cares that were legislatively allowed for NPs several years ago. The WAPA Legislative and Governmental Affairs committee has been meeting regularly to work on this legislation, now called the Physician Assistant Health Care Access Act. We have a bill sponsor and are currently seeking support within the legislature to have the bill addressed this session. We have put great efforts into making legislators aware of the role PAs play in addressing health care shortages and the importance of our legislation. We will soon be calling upon all of our members to contact their state representatives, encouraging their support of the bill.
This next year will change the size of the existing WAPA Board to better serve the members of the academy. At the April general membership meeting we will be voting on bylaws changes that will create regional directors at large. This is will allow better representation of all academy members to the WAPA Board. WAPA elections will be held this spring and announced at the Spring Meeting in Lake Geneva. If you are interested in serving the academy in a leadership position or a member of a committee please contact the WAPA office for information.
Over the next several months we will work to keep the membership aware of the legislative changes and opportunities to help promote PA practice in the state. Watch for email from the academy.
Happy New Year to all WAPA members.