Most people know that October 6 is a special day for the PA profession. On this day in 1967, the first physician assistants graduated from Duke University. In commemoration of the beginning of the profession, many individual PAs host community activities and public information programs throughout the month of October. In 2004, the AAPA House of Delegates voted to change the traditional PA Day celebration to Physician Assistant Week, celebrated October 6-12. National Physician Assistant Week honors all PAs for the quality care they provide to millions of Americans.

There’s no better way to honor the profession then to spread the word about PAs. We’ve all met doctors, nurses, patients, (even some of our own friends and family!) who don’t understand the PA concept. Consider organizing a public relations event in the month of October to help celebrate our profession. The AAPA and the PSPA have a plethora of projects and tools which can help you organize an event. All these tools are available on the PSPA website (www.pspa.net) under public relations tools or the AAPA website (www.aapa.org) under the members only section. Consider organizing one of the following easy PR projects:

• Set up a table at the hospital with information about PAs. The PSPA can provide brochures, posters, and articles. This can be set up in the main lobby, cafeteria, or physician lounge. PAs and or PA students may help you staff the table throughout the day.
• Hang a poster or flyer about PAs in the physician lounge, patient waiting room, or elevators (posters and flyers also available through the PSPA).
• Give a presentation about the physician-PA team during grand rounds. The PSPA has powerpoint presentations which you can use and will even send out a PA to help you when possible.
•  Contact your local newspaper or TV station to see if they’ll do a feature on PAs in your community.
• Submit an article about PAs for the hospital newsletter. The PSPA and AAPA have shell articles that you can edit and then use.
• Educate your friends and family about PAs by putting an article or blurb about PAs in your local community newsletter. Examples of this could be putting information in the next church newsletter or high school play program.
• Organize a local blood drive. The AAPA has a step-by-step guide on how to do this. Always have materials available about PAs at any community service event possible.

There are literally hundreds of possible projects that you can do for PA day. The PSPA is here to support any project that you want to organize. Please contact the public relations and education committee chair Abby Jacobson at AbbyJPA@comcast.net or 215-681-0672.

If you do organize an event for PA week, please let us know! We would love to put your accomplishments in the PSPA newsletter.