Society of Army Physic ian Assistants

The 40th SAPA PA Refresh-

er Course provided signifi-

cant opportunities for PAs

to learn and be heard in

ways that advance the pro-

fession. The board main-

tained its high-quality PA

Recertification curriculum

and added a two-day mili-

tary symposium that was

held over the weekend.

Military Symposium (Active Duty,

Reserve, National Guard)

The military symposium covered

the entire range of opportunities

for military PAs with early career

planning with HRC Branch Man-

agers, SAPA also hosted MG

(Retired) Volpe who highlighted

lessons learned from the Battle

of Mogadishu and BG Rees who

was a former medic who became

a PA, then a Physician.

Military Symposium Topics

included:

-Senior Leader Panel which

covered the DHA Transition,

LTHET, IPAP improvements

and advice for promotion.

-Whole Blood Transfusion.

-Expeditionary Resuscita-

tion Surgical Teams.

-Lessons from the Battle of

Mogadishu.

Pay Disparities in the Federal Services (Retired PAs, Civilian

PAs, Federal Service PAs)

SAPA members met with the

SAPA Board and AAPA Repre-

sentative Tate to discuss how

to address pay limitations for

civilian and GS PAs working in

Federal Services. SAPA also

hosted one of the HRC branch

managers to help

See SAPA Opportunities, page 7

September 2019

Special points of interest:

• Scholarship deadlines are

Feb 1 for all scholarships

• Federal PAs can now join

SAPA

• Find us on Facebook

www.facebook.com/sapa.org

• We’re looking for volun-

teers and article submis-sions!

• JOIN SAPA TODAY

WWW.SAPA.ORG/JOIN-US

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Presidential Transitions 2

AAPA 3

Major Aspirations 6

A PA at Oxford 8

SAPA NEWSLETTER

6 L E S S O N S L E A R N E D F R O M A J U N I O R PA A T S APA 1 L T ( P ) C H R I S T I A N U N A E G B U

In April 2019, I attended the

40th SAPA Refresher Course

in Fayetteville, NC. It was well

worth the money and the

time. I was never a

“conference guy,” especially

Army conferences, but this

one was different. The Mili-

tary symposium was the win-

ner. It created a channel for

the Army PA to learn about

the latest topics from walking

blood banks to the DHA tran-

sition.

The symposium expanded my

horizons. Prior to attending

this conference, I didn’t have

a plan for my career, I was

just riding the waves. Now I

have an idea of where I intend

to be in three and five years

from now.

1. I learned the power of AR

40-68, pg. 42: “Commanders

are encouraged to provide the

time and the necessary fund-

ing …to ensure that all as-

signed PAs remain current in

their clinical skills.” My unit

paid for this conference in-

cluding the annual SAPA

membership fee. I discovered

many of my peers did not

know that their units could

pay for the trip. Some of

them have decided they’d

attend the next conference.

2. It’s important to let your

Command team (Rater and

Sr. Rater) know what you do.

Sit down with them once eve-

ry three months to discuss

their expectations for you. It

shows you're proactive and it

will reflect on your OER.

See Jr PA on page 9

4 0 T H S APA R E F R E S H E R C O U R S E B R OA D E N S O P P O R T U N I T I E S F O R PA S

M A J A D H A N A M C C A R T H Y

Time does fly by fast! My year

as SAPA President ends on 30

June. Pat Malone takes over

as President. This past year

SAPA board members had

telephone and in person

meetings with Federal Con-

gress members and our AAPA

representatives to share

our concerns and receive

updates from AAPA on issues

they are working on for us.

The main issue for all of us

was pay and GS rating dispari-

ty between nurse practition-

ers and PAs in federal facili-

ties. With the VA implement-

ing changes that will/should

put PAs and NPs on an even

playing field and DHA taking

over military medical treat-

ment facilities the Federal

Congress needs to stay in-

volved with AAPA to ensure

PAs are treated fairly. SAPA

asked AAPA to notify the us

when meetings are scheduled

with OPM, DHA and OTSG to

give us the opportunity to

attend the meeting with them.

This year the SAPA confer-

ence was held over a week-

end. Members had requested

The board consider a week-

end conference a couple of

years ago. We tried it this

year, but have decided to go

back to a Monday through

Friday conference. This for-

mat gives attendees a week-

end before and a weekend

after to travel/spend with

families before going back to

work.

This year we incorporated a

two day military symposium

during the refresher course.

MG (Ret) Volpe gave two out-

standing lectures on the sec-

ond day; Lessons Learned

from the “Battle of Moga-

dishu” and “The Future of PAs

in the Military”. BG Reese,

MD (PA forLife) spoke on Mili-

tary Readiness. He later

spoke on his experience as a

PA in the National Guard and

later working with PAs as a

MD.

We’ve added workshops to

the course. This year’s work-

shops were “Battlefield Acu-

puncture”, “Stop the Bleed”,

and EKGs. This was our 20th

annual poster contest. I know

the judges had a difficult time

choosing the winners. The last

two years several posters

made it to the AAPA confer-

ence.

During our board meeting we

discussed membership and

conference fees. Both fees

have remained stable for

several years. With confer-

ence, marketing, travel, and

other administrative costs

rising each year the board

voted to raise the member-

ship fee to $50. For several

and the rest of the SAPA BOD.

I will continue to work diligent-

ly to strengthen the relation-

ship with SAPA, the Surgeon

General, and the AAPA. I am

always available to any SAPA

member.

Please do not hesitate to con-

tact me if you have any ques-

tions or concerns about the

coming year. My email is

sapapresident01@gmail.com

I look forward to working with

and meeting each and every

As this year of my presidency

starts, I want to welcome all

of the new Board Members

and thank the previous board

members and diligent volun-

teers. It is an honor to have

the opportunity and privilege

to serve this great organiza-

tion. I look forward to serving

you over the next year.

I will continue to build on the

successes that SAPA has

enjoyed over the past few

years and especially over the

past year under the outstand-

ing leadership of Polly Gross

one of you. Again, congratula-

tions to the new Board Mem-

bers and to all of the previous

Board Members and volun-

teers, thank you all for your

service to this great organiza-

tion.

Patrick E Malone PA-C, DFAAPA SAPA President ant to welcome

all of the new Board Members

and thank the previous board

members and diligent volun-

teers. It is an honor to have the

opportunity and privilege to

serve this great organization. I

Page 2

T R A N S I T I O N S : L E T T E R F RO M T H E I N C O M I N G SAPA P R E S I D E N T

years HRC has not had fund-

ing to send the PA

representative. We know

many of you attend not only

for the CMEs but also to meet

with your career manager. So

this year SAPA provided fund-

ing for the HRC Representa-

tive to attend.

I hope SAPA members have

enjoyed keeping up with our

news through our Facebook

page, the new and improved

website, and newsletters. We

welcome posts from our

members and ideas and arti-

cles for the newsletter and

website.

Thanks to the SAPA Board

members for their hard work

to make SAPA and the Re-

fresher Course better. I wish

the best to Pat Malone as he

takes over as SAPA President.

Sincerely,

Pauline (Polly) Gross

SAPA President

L E T T E R F RO M T H E OU TG O I N G SAPA P R E S I D E N T

SAPA Newsletter Page 3

M I L I TA RY PA S F I N D ME N TO R S A N D N E T WO R K I N T H E M I L E H I G H C I T Y BY CPT Melanie Hosker, CPT Sloan Kelly and LTC Amelia Duran-Stanton

AAPA 2019 Meet in the Mid-dle June 10, 2019 (Reprinted

with permission)

PAs eagerly gathered May 18-

22, 2019, in Denver, Colora-

do, for AAPA 2019. The con-

ference afforded not only an

opportunity for continuing

medical education with sub-

ject matter experts com-

manding up-to-date

knowledge, but also proved

to be a remarkable opportuni-

ty to network and connect.

The military PAs and students

participated in several events

such as the collaborative

meeting with the AAPA feder-

al advocacy team, the recruit-

ing booth at the exhibit hall,

the House of Delegates, the

Uniformed Services Symposi-

um, general session, award

ceremonies, the Distin-

guished Fellow reception, and

the research luncheon.

Recruiting Efforts

Military PAs spoke to confer-

ence attendees interested in

joining the military and gath-

ered information on those

who requested follow up with

a recruiter. The team shared

their experiences and satis-

faction with their careers to

help frame the responsibili-

ties and duties of a military

PA. This highlighted the in-

creased need of autonomy,

broad scope of practice, and

expansive resources with

which to practice in varying

clinical and austere settings

across the world. They also

discussed the numerous

clinical and trauma training

opportunities offered to mili-

tary PAs to improve patient

care and outcomes, at home

or on the battlefield. Addition-

ally, they provided infor-

mation on available programs

such as loan repayment of-

fered by each respective ser-

vice.

2019 AAPA Military Service

PA of the Year Award

COL David Hamilton, MPH, PA

-C, received this

year’s Military Service

Award for his more than 30

years of experience in the

medical community and his

military career. He currently

serves as Deputy Command-

ing Officer of Womack Army

Medical Center at Fort Bragg,

North Carolina, and is the PA

Consultant to the Army Sur-

geon General.

Memorial Ceremony

This year’s Veterans Caucus

Memorial Ceremony, themed

“Wings of Courage,” highlight-

ed the historic and continued

role of the military PA – both

on the large scale of shaping

our profession, and on the

individual level of saving

lives. Jeremiah Pauley, from

Warriors Speak, shared his

story of physical visible inju-

ries sustained on the battle-

field and subsequent

“invisible” battle with PTSD.

Military PAs represented their

services in the color guard for

the ceremony and throughout

the conference.

House of Delegates, Distin-

guished Fellow Reception

and Research Luncheon

Several military and civilian

PAs who were elected to rep-

resent their services and

specialty groups attended the

House of Delegates meet-

ings. Military PAs also attend-

ed the Distinguished Fellow

reception and brought junior

PA mentees as their honored

guests. A few military PAs

also attended the research

luncheon with fellow re-

searchers to discuss current

research and potential future

collaborations.

Presentations at General

Sessions and the Uniformed

Services Symposium

Of the military PAs in attend-

ance, several presented at

least 10 lectures and CPT

Shameice Fischer presented

her team’s research during

an ePoster session. On behalf

of the presenting authors,

they acknowledged all con-

tributing authors’ collabora-

tion and support.

An Innovative Virtual Mentor-ship Program: A Delphi Study in Bridging the Gap between Senior and Junior Physician Assistants, presented by CPT

Shameice K. Fischer (co-

authors/contributors: COL

Robert S. Heath, COL Amy L.

Jackson, LTC Amelia M. Du-

ran-Stanton, MAJ Garrett W.

Larson, and CPT Brandon M.

Carius).

Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst: Mass Casualty Response, Triage, and Novel

Threats by CPT Charity Coe.

To CT or not to CT? When Acute Abdominal Pain is a Surgical Emergency by CPT

Charity Coe.

Is There a Fracture? Ortho-paedic Evaluation and Treat-ment of Polytrauma Pa-tients presented by LTC Ame-

lia Duran-Stanton (co-

authors/contributors LTC Ben

Kocher and MAJ Christopher

Cordova.

S. Military PA Panel: Where Do We See Ourselves In the Next 50 Years And Beyond?

By LTC Amelia Duran-Stanton

(co-contributors: COL David

Hamilton, COL Terry

Mathews, LTC Terry “Lee”

Clark, LTC James Jones, LTC

Robyn Mason, LCDR Michelle

Miller, and LT Jeremy Fisher.)

-Scholarship deadlines

have changed to February

1st for all SAPA scholar-

ships.

-Have a professional topic

to share? Submit your

proposal for a podium

presentation or poster to

sapa.exec.dir@gmail.com.

-PA Students get a 20%

discount for the SAPA Con-

ference.

-SAPA can serve as your

constituent organization

for PAs interested in apply-

ing for a PA Foundation

IMPACT grant. Grants

open on October 1st.

Visit:

https://pa-foundation.org/

-SAPA members get a $50

discount for annual AAPA

Membership Dues.

-Family members of SAPA

Members are eligible for

exclusive scholarships.

Page 4

40TH ANNUAL SAPA H IGHLIGHTS

SAPA Newsletter Page 5

Page 6

AAPA held their annual Leader-

ship Advocacy Summit in Alex-

andria, VA from March 14-16,

2019. During the 3 day event,

over 240 PAs (including 60

students) representing over 40

states participated in summit

lectures. Two examples of

these wonderful lectures are:

Building on the Momentum: A Progress Report on Moderniz-ing PA Legislation by Jonathan

E. Sobel, DMSc, MBA, PA-C,

DFAAPA, FAPACVS, President

and Chair of the Board, AAPA

and Choice and Competition in

Health Care Brian C. Blase,

Ph.D. from National Economic

Council. He also discussed re-

forming America’s health care

system. Tons of networking and

breakout sessions were availa-

ble. I was excited to be one of

the many Servicemembers of all

branches, components and sta-

tuses, in attendance.

One of the primary goals of the

Leadership Advocacy Summit

weekend is to advocate for bills

on Capitol Hill. This year, the two

bills were Promoting Access to

M A J O R A S P I R A T I O N S : W H I T E H O U S E M E D I C A L U N I T B Y MAJ Adhana McCarthy

Major Aspirations is a Q&A session that highlights interesting and unique opportunities for mid-level PAs. These Senior Captains and Majors are making a difference in Army Medicine. CPT (P) Jennifer Smith, IPAP Class 03-09, describes her experience serving on the

White House Medical Unit.

Could you describe a typical day?

It’s extremely variable. I’m either in one of the clinics or I’m on the road for the different events. The job is very heavy on planning. We

had to make sure that we had a cohesive support plan for all of our locations.

What’s the best part of the job?

The best thing is the travel. Each new location will have things that are slightly different. It keeps me on my toes. I also get to see a lot of

locations that the rest of the public doesn’t get to see.

What’s the worst part of the job?

It’s an all-consuming job. Out of 30 days per month, I was on the road for 27 or 28 of those days. Even when I was back home, there

were lots of 24-hour shifts. For my colleagues who had families, it was reminiscent of PA school, family time was rare.

What personalities do well in the position?

People who are excited about traveling. The PAs travel the most out of the group. If you like medical contingency planning and a constant

challenge, this is a job for you. It’s important to be self-motivated and to have a positive attitude. Interpersonal dynamics are really

important with this job. I was interacting with people from all walks of life from generals, ambassadors, FBI agents, white house staff

members, secret service, and special ops. It’s important to understand all of their cultures to work together as a team.

What biggest thing you learned about yourself?

I had to learn about the pressure of being in a role with the smallest mistake could make a big difference or how to show up quickly on

multiple time sensitive project. I had to improve my personal interaction style for every person. I learned to adjust my communication to

fit with how people receive information. I learned very quickly to consider people who don’t think like me.

What’s a lesson you will take with you about the military?

I didn’t even know that position existed before I saw the announcement. But, on the regular Army side, I’m used to having people with

different skills and motivation levels. At places that are more selective, it’s fantastic to work in a team where people are super motivated

to make sure the mission was complete. It was really cool to see that happen.

Read any good books lately?

Books. Radical Candor. It’s really interesting from a leader perspective. It talks about how people tend to avoid difficult conversations.

But, you need to know that by speaking candidly, you're doing something good for the person as well as the organization.

Diabetic Shoes Act S.273/H.R.

808 and Physician Assistant

Direct Payment Act S.596/H.R.

1052.

Did you know that PAs cannot

order diabetic shoes for their

own patients under Medicare

despite being able to diagnosis,

treat and manage complex

comorbidities? PAs must send

their patient to a physician to

verify the diagnosis and the

need for these shoes, which

have the potential to prevent

significant morbidity and mortal-

L E A D E R S H I P A DVO C A C Y S U M M I T B Y CPT Melanie Hosker

ity through a low-cost lifestyle

intervention. The required addi-

tional visit with the physician

delays medical care, increases

medical costs and disrupts the

PA-patient relationship.

Did you know that PAs are the

only health professional that call

bill Medicare but cannot receive

direct payment for services

(unlike physicians, APRNs,PTs,

psychologists, podiatrists and

social workers)?

See ADVOCACY on p 11

SAPA Newsletter Page 7

COL D AV E HA M I LTO N , AAPA M I L I TA RY PA O F T H E Y E A R B Y MAJ Adhana McCarthy

TSG-PARA A N D HE RO O F M I L M E D I C I N E

In April, COL Dave Hamilton was

awarded the 2019 AAPA Military

PA of the year. When he is not

jumping out of airplanes with

WWII Veterans, COL Hamilton is

one of the leaders influencing

the transition to DHA as the

Deputy Commander of Opera-

tions at Womack Army Medical

Center, Fort Bragg, NC. COL

Hamilton is not a stranger to

being an effective leader. One

could argue that he has been

learning the leadership lessons

of showing up and being ac-

countable to teams since grow-

ing up on a tobacco and cattle

farm as a child.

Over his 34 year career, he has

advanced from being a volun-

teer EMT to a Special Forces

Commo/Medical Sergeant to

becoming a PA. As a PA he has

served in multiple roles in Infan-

try and Armored units to include

the 1-4 BN PA at Hoenfels, Ger-

many, Medical Company Com-

mander, and an IPAP Phase II

Coordinator. He earned The

Surgeon General’s PA Recogni-

tion Award in 2002. In these

roles, he increased access to

care, revived the Society of Euro-

pean PAs, trained Iraqi forces,

and mentored over 30 PAs dur-

ing their last year of training.

After earning his MPH, he

became the first PA to

command a Public Health

District at Fort Bragg. He

then served as the first PA

appointed as the Deputy

Commander for Health

Readiness at Fort Carson,

CO. Throughout his career,

COL Hamilton has been an

advocate of PAs and patients,

constantly striving to stream-

line services and improve the

practice environment. He

also has been a long-time

Board Member for SAPA. It is

no surprise that this outstand-

ing leader has been recognized

by the PA profession as a whole.

Congratulations, COL Hamilton!

LTC Stephen Delellis was award-

ed the Hero of Military Medicine

Award from the Henry Jackson

Foundation. LTC DeLellis re-

cently retired as the Deputy

Command Surgeon for the Unit-

ed States Army Special Opera-

tions Command (USASOC) at

Fort Bragg, NC .

This prestigious award is pre-

sented by the Center for Public-

Private Partnerships (CP3) at the

Henry M. Jackson Foundation

for the Advancement of Military

Medicine, Inc (HJF). See:

https://pahx.org/assistants/del

ellis-stephen/.

LTC Johnny Paul was awarded

the 2019 TSG PARA Award. As

the OIC of the Soldier Medic

Training program at AMEDD

Center and Schools, he lever-

aged his years of tactical medi-

cal experience and enhanced

the front line medical care for

Soldiers. He recently has com-

pleted his DMSc and is also an

Assistant Professor at Uni-

formed Service University Col-

lege. For more information on

LTC Paul’s career, see:

https://pahx.org/assistants

/paul-johnny-w/.

with career planning and men-

torship. The course maintained

its outstanding EKG workshop,

added a course on Battlefield

Acupuncture and covered critical

topics like opioid prescribing

guidelines.

Current Research and Career

Advancement

Attendees were also able to

learn about current research

being conducted by researchers

from FORSCOM, EUCOM,

PACOM, CENTCOM, AFRICOM as

well as civilian schools through

the academic poster competition.

Representatives from University of

Lynchburg and Rocky Mountain

University were among the ven-

dors discussing with PAs how to

advance their careers with a

DMSc degree.

PAs recognized

LTC Amelia Duran-Stanton was

awarded the Scully Award for her

outstanding service supporting

SAPA. CPT Shamiece Fisher and

co-authors won the poster presen-

tation on using the internet to

leverage PA Mentorship. Dr. An-

drea Lowendorf

with LTC Amelia

Duran-Stanton won second and

MAJ Robin Cushing won third

place for her poster on PreP Pre-

scribing Guidelines.

Relationships Deepened

The consensus among the most

loyal SAPA attendees is that they

return to reconnect with a unique

group of high-quality people who

share in the camaraderie of their

profession. It is only here that

today’s recent IPAP graduate can

sit down with the PAs who sacri-

ficed career advancement to push

for PA commissioning. At SAPA,

uniformed PAs from all compo-

nents can meet face to face and

share best practices. Mid-career

PAs can have candid conversa-

tions with the senior PA leaders

and glean insights about the fu-

ture direction of the profession.

PAs from multiple generations

can share stories and forge

strong bonds in the hallways be-

tween sessions, at the Presi-

dent’s Welcome Dinner, after the

grog ceremony or during a late-

night session of karaoke.

MAJ Adhana McCarthy, PA-C PhD Candidate F 187th Student Det,

Joint Base San Antonio

SAPA Opportunities (Cont. from page 1)

At age 64 you’d assume that

someone like me would be

looking at retirement at some

point. Well, knowing me,

you’d be wrong. I ran across

a master’s degree in surgical

science and practice that just

so happened to be located at

the University of Oxford, in,

you guessed it, Oxford Eng-

land. Not being one to let a

good challenge go by, I

investigated closer. This de-

gree is listed specifically for

surgeons, which failed to stop

my curiosity. I looked into all

the requirements and it said

“other” degreed persons

could be considered. Well

there you go. I’m as “other”

as anyone else who is not a

qualified surgeon. I, there-

fore, sent my $75 in with an

application, expecting a polite

rejection letter after they ex-

pended my application fee. To

my great surprise, I was

scheduled for a telephone

interview with the program

director. Again, after getting

thru questions and comments

such as “you’re not a sur-

geon” and “you’re a bit older

than our typical student”, I

thought my chances of actual-

ly attending this course were

slim to none.

Two weeks later, I received an

email from the program. It

said “congratulations, we’d

like to offer you a position in

the master’s program.” Of

course I accepted and the

adventure began. I attended

my first course in the UK

which has a fledgling PA pro-

fession (they use Physician

Associate) and my charge

is to educate the sur-

geons I’m studying with

the American PA experi-

ence.

My classmates are from

several countries. Three

are from Canada, one

each from Australia,

South Africa and the UK. I

am the lone American

and the only (and first

ever PA) to be allowed to

study at Oxford. Three are

orthopaedic surgeons,

one plastic surgeon, one

neurosurgeon and one

general surgery resident.

The Saturday after we

arrived was set aside for

Matriculation which is a

grand ceremony to accept

you into the overall Uni-

versity. If you look at

YouTube, you’ll find sever-

al videos of this event.

Quite the to-do for even a

Texan like me. I was a bit

disappointed that they

didn’t have any decent

BBQ joints there.

I’ll report back in the fu-

ture as the course moves

forward. There are six,

one-week intense courses

and then a dissertation to

complete before you are

awarded the degree. I am

finishing course one as

this is written. They do

have a DPhil for those of

you interested in evi-

dence-based medicine.

Michael Champion Master’s Candidate University of Oxford

Page 8

SAVE THE DATE!!

A PA A T OX F O R D B Y M I C H A E L C H A M P I O N

Interested in event

planning?

Want to get your feet

wet in social media?

We’re looking for

Talent!

Email:

armypa.newseleter@gmail.com

Oct 6-12 , 2019 PA Week is coming. Start your planning. Apr 20-24 , 2020 SAPA Refresher Course. Submit CME requests now. May 16-20, 2020 AAPA Nashville. Stay tuned for the Uniformed Services Sym-posium.

SAPA Newsletter Page 9

Are the rumors true? The

Army Medical Department

Center & School (AMEDD

C&S) Captain’s Career Course

(CCC) will undergo a multitude

of changes for fiscal year

2020. The major changes are

coming as an effort to train

medical officers to the stand-

ard of their counterparts in

the combat arms area of con-

centration.

19 October 2018, AMEDD

C&S realigned under Training

and Doctrine Command which

allows for all training pro-

grams to fall under the same

command. The driving force

for the new change is for

medical officers to receive

similar operational training to

that of non-medical officers.

Previously, there was a re-

quirement to complete a 40-

hour online training course

prior to enrollment into phase

II of CCC. Due to the changes,

the online phase I course is

no longer a requirement.

Phase I has been replaced

with a 50 question doctrine

exam given to students within

the first three days of the

course. Students will be pro-

vided with a study guide in

preparation for the doctrine

exam.

The previous 9-week phase II

course will now be 20 weeks.

Within the course, more time

is built into the schedule for

individual study. In addition

to more study time, more

emphasis will be placed on

teaching medical officers

Army doctrine. A field training

exercise (FTX) will also be

built into the schedule. The

FTX will be a Defense Support

of Civil Authorities exercise.

Tentatively, the FTX will last 2

weeks at Camp Bullis. Class

19-191 will be the first class

to conduct this FTX in the past

10 years.

So to answer the question,

yes! The rumors are true. Get

ready for some changes in the

AMEDD C&S CCC.

Additionally, the GRE will be a

requirement for all CCC gradu-

ates. The Army will fund the

test fees, but they will be

used for talent management

in the future.

CPT Naikeya Coston, PA-C is the

Physician Assistant for 2-8 CAV,

1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood,

TX

Changes to Captains Career Course BY CPT Naikeya Coston

3. There are opportunities for

Army PAs in this new migration

to DHA. The Army is scaling up

the authorizations for PAs. It is

a great time to be a PA.

4. SAPA is a good place to

network. It’s great to see lead-

ers in your field who have gone

ahead of you and are doing

amazing things. You get to hang

out with them in an informal

setting and learn from their

wealth of knowledge. As an LT,

this was invaluable to me, as I

get to ask these leaders ques-

tions and get immediate feed-

back from them.

5. We can gain new skills at

SAPA. I learned how to do

Battle Field Acupuncture (BFA).

I had never heard of it until this

conference. Already, I am

using it in my routine practice.

6. Meeting the HRC Rep was

priceless. I talked one-on-one

with my branch manager and

he made great career recom-

mendations based on my inter-

ests.

Overall, it was a great experi-

ence for me to attend the SAPA

Refresher Course. It opened

my eyes to many rich experienc-

es. I will continue to attend

going forward.

1LT (P) Christian Unaegbu, PA-

C is the 1-7 ADA Physician

Assistant for the 108th Air De-

fense Artillery Brigade Fort

Bragg, NC

Jr PA Lessons (Cont. from page 1) USAR Corner Many of us know that profes-

sional organizations offer one

avenue for mentorship and

networking, but honestly, in

what other setting can you

small group meeting with LTC

Clark, learn and practice Bat-

tle Field Acupuncture along-

side an IPAP classmate (you

rock Christian!) and COL(R)

Gross, have lunch with MAJ

Vidal (active component HRC

representative) and enjoy a

banquet dinner seated next to

COL Oliver and BG Reses

(ARNG, PA) in addition to pick-

ing up to 37 CMEs along the

way? This all occurred during

SAPA’s recent 40th annual

refresher course and military

symposium in Fayetteville,

NC. I also had the opportunity

to sit in on incredible guest

lectures during military sym-

posium breakout sessions

including an afternoon with

MG (Ret) Volpe, and PAs work-

ing with fresh whole blood

and Expeditionary Resuscita-

tion Surgical Teams to name

a few.

We are hoping to see many

new faces get involved over

the coming year, so please

help us spread the word! We

look forward to building the

USAR representation within

SAPA. Stay tuned for our own

SAPA USAR page for easy

access to mentorship connec-

tions and upcoming events

that does not require Face-

book OR CAC access!

I look forward to the coming

year and hope to see many of

you next year in Fayetteville,

save the date: April 20-24!

CPT Melanie Hosker, SAPA Director of Reserve

Affairs

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM

YOU!

What can we do for you?

More CMEs over the

course of the year? Video

conferencing with Army PA

leaders? Info about creden-

tialing from NCCPA? Advo-

cacy from AAPA? PA History

with PA Historical Society?

More money and oppor-

tunity?

email:

armypa.newsletter@gmail.c

om

SAPA P.O. Box 623

Monmouth, IL 61462

FAX (309) 734-4489

SAPA Annual Scholarship

Award amount: $1,000

• Does your spouse need a scholarship to advance their

career while you serve?

• Are you looking to help sup-port college or trade school

for your child or grandchild?

SAPA offers three annual $1000

scholarships annually for SAPA

members, their spouses, children

and grandchildren. SAPA mem-

bership must be current. Children

of deceased SAPA members are

also eligible. A spouse of a de-

ceased SAPA member who has

not remarried can also be

deemed eligible.

To check eligibility for SAPA

Scholarships, go to https://www.sapa.org/scholarships

All scholarships packets must be

postmarked by

1 February

CPT Sean P. Grimes Physician

Assistant Educational

Scholarship Award

Award amount: $6,000

• Are you a NCCPA Certified

PA seeking a Masters or

Doctoral degree?

• Are you a current or for-mer Soldier (AD, NG, Re-serve) seeking initial train-ing as a physician assis-

tant?

The Grimes family wants to

commemorate the memory of

CPT Sean Grimes with an edu-

cational award for those de-

serving Soldiers who embody

his brilliance, character and

dedication. Eligibility includes

all Soldiers E5-O4, any MOS,

any component (Active, NG,

Reserves, Veteran).

Society of Army

Physician Assistants

ATTN: Scholarship Committee

P.O. Box 623

Monmouth, IL 61462.

Email: orpotter@aol.com

This program is possible only due to the generosity of SAPA Members. Individuals may make donations into our scholarship fund, which are 100% tax deductible, as SAPA is a non-profit

organization.

Donations may be sent to the SAPA address above, ATTN: Scholarship

Fund.

S C H O L A R S H I P OP P O RT U N I T I E S F O R PA S A N D T H E I R FA M I L I E S

SAPA Board of Directors

www.sapa.org

President Elect - LTC Sharon Rosser sapa.pre.elect@gmail.com

President - Pat Malone sapapresident01@gmail.com

Past President - COL Pauline Gross sapa.immed.past.pres@gmail.com

Secretary - MAJ Adhana McCarthy sapa.secretary01@gmail.com

Treasurer - LTC (R) Jim Miller sapa.treasurer@gmail.com

Membership Director - LTC Sharon Denson sapa.membership@gmail.com

Director of Active Duty - LTC Amelia Duran-Stanton sapa.dir.ad@gmail.com

Director of National Guard Affairs - LTC Robyn Mason sapa.guard@gmail.com

Director of Civilian PA - Karen Reedy sapa.civpa@gmail.com

Director of Federal PAs - Trish Lucas sapa.federalpa@gmail.com

Director of Reserve Affairs - CPT Melanie Hosker sapa.reserve@gmail.com

Director of Retired Affairs - Sherrick Cunningham sapa.dir.retired@gmail.com

Executive Director - Bob (Orie) Potter sapa.exec.dir@gmail.com

Newsletter Editor - MAJ Adhana McCarthy armypa.newsletter@gmail.com

Guest Editor - CPT Tim Pekari

SAPA is a civilian organiza-tion representing and sup-porting the US Army Physi-cian Assistant, including Former, Active, Retired, Reserve and National Guard PAs. The Society's goals are to provide a forum for discussion, representa-tion with the AAPA, and to provide high quality, low cost CME to the Society's members and to the PA

profession.

CPT Sean P. Grimes

SAPA Newsletter Page 11

The BOD wants to extend a

warm

Thank You

to the volunteers who make

the SAPA Refresher Course

possible every year!

41st Annual PA/Medical Provider

Refresher Course

April 20 - April 24, 2020

Holiday Inn Express (formerly Holiday Inn) at I - 95 Hotel & Convention Center

Fayetteville, North Carolina

$275 - $450

37 AAPA Approved CAT 1 CMEs

Featuring

Military Symposium, PA Refresher Course, Special Skills Workshops

Building the Bench: Junior PA Mentorship Program and the Council of Junior PAs, presented by CPT

Shameice Fischer (co-

authors/contributors: COL

Robert Heath, COL Amy

Jackson, LCL Amelia Duran-

Stanton, MAJ Garrett Lar-

son, and CPT Brandon Cari-

us).

Expanding Opportunities for PAs in the Military Health System and Beyond pre-

sented by COL David Hamil-

ton, LTC Avery Carney, MAJ

(R) Jimmie Keller, and CPT

Timothy Pekari.

Transforming Government Healthcare Organizations with Lean Daily Manage-ment presented by COL

David Hamilton, COL Amy Jack-

son, LTC George Barbee and

LTC Amelia Duran-Stanton.

The Future of the Military Health System and the National De-fense Authorization Act presented by COL David

Hamilton.

Emergency and Disaster Man-agement: Needs Assessment Implementation presented by

Ms. Mary Showstark and LTC

Amelia Duran-Stanton.

Travel Medicine: A Dose of Pre-vention presented by LTC Mary

Janet Coy.

This article originally appeared

on AAPA’s News Central

https://www.aapa.org/news-central/

AAPA (Cont from p. 3) Advocacy (Cont from p. 6)

insights that can be gleamed

from observation and participa-

tion in legislation can add a

depth of knowledge and under-

standing from the most junior

PAs to the most senior PAs.

This is where the future is decid-

ed. Are you going to speak up

through SAPA or AAPA?

CPT Melanie Hosker,

SAPA Director of Reserve Affairs

This is a privilege that APRNs

have had for over two decades!

This adds unnecessary admin-

istrative burden and creates

financial hardship among PA

owned practices. This creates a

disconnect that PA owned prac-

tices can care for patients but

cannot be appropriately reim-

bursed for PA services.

During the afternoon on Capitol

Hill, summit attendees met

with their own state representa-

tives and senators during more

than 200 meetings. Less than

two weeks following the meet-

ings 14 members added their

names as cosponsors onto the

diabetic shoes act and 3 mem-

ber signed onto the direct pay

act.

With this kind of action at the

AAPA’s annual Leadership Ad-

vocacy Summit, we should be

pushing for increased attend-

ance from SAPA members. The