A Message From Your President

Friends and Colleagues,

Warmest greetings as we find ourselves entering this year’s holiday season! As members of the Utah Academy of Physician Assistants we have had much to celebrate over the past quarter and even more for which to look forward in the coming months.

Throughout September and October, many employers and partners joined us in recognizing your contribution to healthcare during National APP Week and National PA Week. This continues to be an opportune time to educate and build awareness around the PA profession but, more importantly, to honor the invaluable role you each have in helping others live more fully. The continued success of our PA community would not be as widely appreciated without the steady progress also experienced by our clinical programs.  

Academic opportunities for PAs in Utah originated in 1971 with the accreditation of the Utah Physician Assistant Program (UPAP) at the University of Utah, School of Medicine- one of the oldest PA programs in the country.  Several years later, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions established their Master of Physician Assistant Studies program and Utah Valley University is currently preparing its first class of graduating clinicians. The UAPA is pleased to share that Weber State University has achieved Accreditation status and is moving forward with confirming its inaugural cohort! We wish to congratulate faculty and friends of the program at their celebration event Wednesday, November 30, and invite you to join us.      

We would also like to announce the formation of the UAPA Academic Committee, supported by our University Program Directors, as we seek to engage faculty and students in our One Utah Health Collaborative action items. In other advocacy, we continue to align with the American Academy of Physician Associates and partner with neighboring PA organizations to help advance our priorities in Utah.  We recently had excellent representation at the AAPA Leadership and Advocacy Summit in Washington D.C. and are looking forward to convening during the 2023 Utah Legislative Session.

Within the past quarter, we’ve been particularly intentional in meeting with legislators to discuss the culture of healthcare and our organization’s commitment to optimizing team-based care. Ongoing support for the implementation of SB 27 Physician Assistant Practice Act Amendments and SB 28 Mental Health Practice Act Amendments remains a strategic imperative and we’ve worked steadily to socialize moving forward with our UAPA re-brand. In light of these discussions, we will be hosting a UAPA Town Hall Tuesday, January 17, and welcome your engagement.  Lastly, the Utah Academy of Physician Assistants will be hosting the 2023 PA Day on the Hill Tuesday, January 31 at the Capitol Building and look forward to your participation as we highlight our progress and outline our future direction!         

We hope this holiday season brings the gift of reflection and finds you invigorated with renewed passion and sense of purpose for our profession. We thank those providing care and comfort for our patients and their families during these special times and wish you and your loved ones a safe and enjoyable time of togetherness.    

 

In Health and Wellness,

 

Katie Swenson, DMSc, MBA, MSc, MPAS, PA-C

President

Utah Academy of PAs