I've always been involved in organizations and organizational politics, starting with running for some student government slot in grade school. As an ATC (Athletic Trainer), I stayed active in the state association, showing up at conferences, agreeing to make phone calls when needed to promote licensure, taking lower-level committee work.
I had a friend once who said, “Oh, you're a joiner.” That really bugged me—it seemed like such a dismissive way to categorize my interest and belief that I had some responsibility to do the grunt work that must be done to create a healthy profession. The “joiner” tag sounded to me more like a description of someone who joins things and groups out of some psychiatric defect. Not that I am any freer of psychiatric defects than the next person, but professional engagement shouldn't be seen as a weakness or a personality flaw, which the “joiner” label implies.
During one phone-bank effort in Washington for the state athletic trainers' organization, we were calling other ATCs to ask them to contribute money for our licensure effort. One ATC I called said, “Why should I contribute? What's the organization done for me?” I had a personal mini-epiphany: the organization IS me, IS the ATC who didn't see why they should join. And that's a point so often missed by PAs as well.
Many colleagues I greatly respect, admire, and just plain like feel no more compelled to participate in state or national PA organization activities than they do to join the Rotary Club. And when I try to make the point that “hey, we need you … in fact, we ARE you!”they just put up their hands in stop-sign fashion, and say, “whoa, dude, don't guilt-trip me; I don't have time.” So I back off, and we stay cordial, but it's just such a stubborn and unending battle convincing other PAs that our associations need their engagement to survive.
The AAPA is nothing but a group of hard-working and committed PAs and staff who accept the responsibility to fight for our profession, and for our patients. And if I could have one wish granted, it would be this: PAs across the nation would wake one morning, look in the mirror, and say, “you know, I have it pretty good. I have a great job doing what I love, I'm paid very well for it, and I suddenly see how my engagement in professional activities is necessary to maintain that for me and PAs who follow me. So I'm going renew my membership today, and contact the AAPA to see if there is a committee I can join as well!”
Perhaps this is magical thinking, a term to describe a psychiatric symptom. And while we're back on psychiatry, maybe being a NON-joiner is the real malady. Maybe NOT seeing the obvious is the aberration. Because any PA looking at our profession should feel called to join in the work needed to preserve and promote our status. After all, AAPA doesn't do things for its members, it IS its members.
Jim Anderson is a clinical informatics educator for University of Washington Medicine—IT Services and a member of the clinical faculty of the MEDEX Northwest PA program at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. This blog post expresses his personal views and does not express or represent the views or policies of AAPA.