National PA Week is a week long event that takes place from October 6th through October 12th each year. With the purpose of celebrating the profession and its contributions to the nation’s health, this week is important not only to the PAs who are honored, but also for increasing public awareness of the important role PAs play in a wide variety of medical settings.
Medelita founder Lara Francsico (PA-C) worked as an emergency medicine PA in a level 1 trauma ward for a decade before launching a collection of tailored medical apparel designed with the needs of her colleagues in mind. Because of our company's unique history, National PA Week holds a special place in our hearts at Medelita.
What is a PA?
A Physician Assistant, or PA for short, is an integral part of our healthcare system. With more than 108,500 certified PAs around the country, this rewarding career makes a huge difference in improving our nation’s health in so many ways - from giving underserved populations greater access to healthcare, improving patient health outcomes and increasing overall patient satisfaction.
How can you celebrate National PA Week?
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Social Media
There are a number of ways you can celebrate PA Week from your social media accounts! Using the hashtag #PAWeek in a post is the easiest and most straightforward, but you can also download a number of images from the AAPA website to change your profile picture in recognition of this event. If you’re feeling even more celebratory (and you should!) you can even participate in the AAPA’s Photo Challenge!
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Honor a PA
Maybe you work with a lot of PAs, or are close friends with a PA in your life, or maybe you’re a PA yourself! Whether patient or provider, use PA Week as an opportunity to honor the important PAs in your life. Even the smallest of gestures makes a difference, but if you aren’t sure how to show your appreciation, here is a useful gift guide with the best gift ideas for PAs.
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Educate the public
Surveys show that a whopping 81.5% of PAs are satisfied with their job and would choose it again - and that’s compared to a national average of 47.7% of Americans who are satisfied with their own jobs! PA Week is a great time to help spread awareness about this career path, and there are a number of ways that you can educate the public about who PAs are, how they work with patients, and how to become one.
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Get political
If you’re a member of AAPA, you can join the national PA PAC and add your voice to the promotion of PAs on Capitol Hill. The PA PAC is the only federal healthcare PAC specifically dedicated to the advancement of the PA profession, with the mission statement of “allow[ing] individual PAs to share in the opportunity to support federal candidates who have demonstrated their belief and understanding of the principles to which the profession is dedicated.”
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Make a donation
A great way to make a difference for PAs nationwide is by making a small monetary donation for a great cause. The PA Foundation’s Pay It Forward campaign allows you to make a donation as a gift in honor of a peer or mentor who has influenced you. They will notify your honoree that the gift has been made in their honor, and all donations go to support the PA Foundation.
Aptly named, Enclothed Cognition is the official Medelita blog for medical professionals interested in topics relevant to a discerning and inquisitive audience. Medelita was founded by a licensed clinician who felt strongly about the connection between focus, poise and appearance.
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