NCCPA Chairman's Address - 09 AAPA House of Delegates

Mr. Speaker, House officers, Madam President, Board of Directors, Delegates and colleagues. My name is Ed Dunn, and this year I am the Chairman of the NCCPA Board of Directors. I have spent eight and a half years on the NCCPA Board and have 38 years of healthcare leadership background where I have seen the critical role PAs fulfill in patient care. I have a deep respect and appreciation for your profession, and I am honored to address you today on behalf of NCCPA.

As many of you know, our mission is to "assure that certified physician assistants meet professional standards of knowledge and skills," and we serve a wide variety of stakeholders: the public – your patients – certified and certifying PAs, licensing and credentialing bodies, and others. NCCPA's Board represents those same groups, and our collective experience and diverse perspectives shape the organization's strategic goals. Today, I'd like to briefly describe a few of our goals and efforts that we've undertaken to accomplish them.

Our first goal states, " NCCPA will be an essential indicator of PA competence and will utilize a competencies-based approach to refine its certification and recertification programs and to develop new products and services for certified PAs ." This goal is supported by NCCPA's continuing focus on the Competencies for the PA Profession , a document developed through a cross organizational effort of the national PA organizations to identify necessary attributes and aptitudes of PAs. Since that document was drafted four years ago, NCCPA has engaged in a thoughtful review of our certification maintenance process. From the beginning it was clear that there is a breadth of competencies that are largely untouched by our current process. Knowing that, we've studied changes being implemented by physician certifying boards, seeking to learn from their experiences and find ways to take the best of what they've done, consider whether and how those things should be adapted for PAs, and weigh opportunities to incorporate new practices that encompass more competencies with the ultimate goal of better positioning you as indispensible members of the health care team committed to a continuous process of self-evaluation and improvement. Our staff has been working closely with colleagues at the AAPA to share information and identify potential areas for cooperative efforts. This year we also have a Board committee working diligently to bring all of these discussions to a conclusion, developing recommendations that we expect to publish to you and others for a comment period later this year. In the meantime, I encourage you to visit the NCCPA Connections Center in Room 22 of the Convention Center tomorrow at 10 a.m. to hear more about why a more robust maintenance of certification process – that takes into account a wider-breadth of PA competencies – may be needed.

Another important 2009 effort includes an opportunity for each of you. Later this year, NCCPA will conduct a practice analysis. This comprehensive study, conducted approximately every five years, helps us better understand exactly what PAs are doing in practice and to ensure that the knowledge, skills and abilities you use are accurately and appropriately reflected in NCCPA exams. When you receive the invitation to participate in the practice analysis, please take the time to share your perspective, and encourage your PA colleagues to do the same. Our second Board goal states " Through the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and resources with others, NCCPA will continue to enhance the reputation of the organization and the visibility of and appreciation for certified physician assistants. " This year, I'm pleased to point to the impressive efforts of the NCCPA Foundation, our partner in the advancement of this goal. Last fall, the Foundation teamed up with AAPA in the nationwide publication and distribution of advertisements and posters promoting the value of certified PAs. Building on that, the Foundation's latest accomplishment – the second installment in its Concepts in Excellence DVD Series – Shaping Great Physician-PA Teams – is an impressive testament to the vitality and versatility of PAs and your physician partners who together make such an extraordinary impact on patient care. The NCCPA Foundation was pleased to work with the AAPA again on this project – a shining example of our continuing efforts to work cooperatively for the betterment of the profession. If you weren't able to attend the DVD's premiere on Saturday, I encourage you to catch its showing this afternoon or tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. in Room 32 of the convention center. Or, just roll up your sleeves at the conference's blood donation center and catch the DVD while doing your good deed for the day. Our third Board goal states, " NCCPA will use technology and research to be responsive, innovative, and effective in addressing the interests of the public and other stakeholders ." This is where I get to tell you about our continuing discussion on how best to offer voluntary specialty credentials for PAs in 2011. Be assured that we appreciate that this is a complex and multi-faceted issue and that we are carefully weighing a host of concerns as we develop more specific plans in this area. We have talked with many of you already about your ideas and concerns, and we're still listening. I encourage those of you who can to share your thoughts with NCCPA in the Connections Center this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. when we'll be sharing more about our current efforts. Or send an e-mail with your thoughts to comments at N-C-C-P-A dot net.

Finally, if you have ever considered taking a more active role in the decisions that shape PA certification, we have an opportunity for you. This year we'll elect a new PA director at large for a four-year term beginning in 2010. Interested? Download the application at w-w-w dot N-C-C-P-A dot net and submit it by July 15.

Thank you again for the opportunity to address you today. I wish you well in your continued deliberations. If you want to connect with NCCPA leaders or members of our staff team, please visit us at our Connections Center today or tomorrow in room 22. We'll be there until 4:00 each afternoon and look forward to talking with you!