Timeline

1973  

First AAPA Annual Conference on New Health Practitioners was held at Sheppard Air Force Base, Wichita Falls, TX with 275 attendees.

National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) administers the first Certifying Examination to 880 candidates, 10% of whom are not PAs but graduates of nurse practitioner programs. Exam consisted of multiple-choice questions and patient management problems using invisible ink technology to expose pertinent information.

Fourteen national health professional organizations voluntarily form a National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants with offices located in Atlanta, GA to provide state licensing authorities the names and qualifications of persons who successfully passed the NBME examination.

1974

AAPA becomes an official organization on the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs for PAs (JRC-PA). The committee reviews physician and surgeon assistant programs and makes recommendations to the Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation (CAHEA).

The AAPA and APAP establish a national office in Washington, DC under the directorship of Dr. Donald Fisher.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) becomes a sponsoring organization of the JRC-PA and publishes "Essentials of an Approved Educational Program for the Surgeon's Assistant."

Problem skills assessments, which later became clinical skill problems (CSPs) were added to the national certifying examination.

1975

The Physician Assistant: A National and Local Analysis, by Ford, is published.

The National Commission on Certification of Physician's Assistants (NCCPA) was incorporated, and sponsorship of the profession's certifying examination was transferred to the NCCPA. David L. Glazer became the organization's first executive director and began hiring staff to open an office in Atlanta, GA. Time-limited certification was established, and the first certificates were issued.

1976

Federal support of PA education continues under grants from Health Professions Assistance Act (PL94-484).

APAP receives a three-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that provides continued core staff support for the APAP/AAPA national office and establishes a research division. A Joint Research and Review Committee of the AAPA/APAP designs and sends the first National PA Survey to 4,583 PAs of whom 83% report providing primarily primary care services.

1977

The New Health Professionals: Nurse Practitioners and Physician's Assistants, by Bliss and Cohen, is published.

AAPA Education and Research Foundation (later renamed the Physician Assistant Foundation) is incorporated to obtain public and private funds to support student scholarships and research about the PA profession.

Rural Health Clinic Services Act (PL95-210) provides Medicare reimbursement of PA and nurse practitioner (NP) services in rural clinics.

Health Practitioner (later named Physician Assistant) journal begins publication and is distributed later to PAs as the official publication of the AAPA.

1978

The Physician's Assistant: Innovation in the Medical Division of Labor, by Schneller, is published.

The Physician's Assistant: A Baccalaureate Curriculum, by Myers, is published.

AAPA House of Delegates becomes policy-making legislative body of the Academy.

Air Force begins appointing PAs as commissioned officers.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funds an additional three years for core support of the APAP/AAPA national office and a second national survey of physician assistant graduates and students.

1979

The APAP separates itself from joint financial arrangements with the AAPA and develops an agreement with the AAPA to cover shared general office expenses and some partial salary support of staff having dual responsibilities. In addition to shared staff, the APAP employs a full-time administrative assistant, researcher and secretary.

1980

The AAPA Political Action Committee is established to support candidates for federal office who support the PA Profession.