This is a friendly reminder from the physician assistant (PA) students here at CWRU that this week is PA WEEK! Every year from October 6-12th, National PA Week is celebrated to recognize the profession and its major contributions to the nation’s healthcare. Is this a pretentious, big-headed attempt to celebrate ourselves as capable, willing, future healthcare providers? Sure, but even more than that, PA week is an opportunity for everyone else to learn more about—or even discover—what it means to be a PA! Before it was a weeklong event, National PA Day was first celebrated on October 6, 1987, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the first graduating class of PAs from the Duke University, the nation’s very first PA program. October 6th also happens to be the birthday of the profession’s founder, Eugene A. Stead, Jr., MD.
So who are PAs?
PAs are medical professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient’s principal healthcare provider (AAPA.org). Located in the School of Medicine at CWRU, PA students are trained for 27 months in the clinical and classroom settings and are awarded a master’s degree upon completion. Additionally, our training includes service and experiential learning components to gain a broader perspective on healthcare and to engage the greater Cleveland community.
We have some exciting events this week to promote the PA profession and invite anyone and everyone to attend:
Monday, October 8 and Wednesday, October 10: We’re hosting a PA bake sale just inside the main entrance of the Biomedical Research Building to raise money for the Hunger Network, an organization that works to provide nutrition and basic health care services to local communities in need. The bake sale will be held from 8am-12pm both days. We will be passing out flyers with general information about the profession and spreading the word about what we do. Come enjoy some treats and learn more!
Friday, October 12: The CWRU PA Program has been chosen to be featured on the American Association of PA’s Snapchat story, so on this day we will have the opportunity to post fun stories about how we spend our days in the program. Be sure to tune in and look for some CWRU representation!
For more information about the PA profession, check out this informational website: YourPACan.org