Across North Carolina, PA students have been leading the way in spearheading legislative visits with the goal of spreading awareness of the PA profession to state legislators. PA students have been inviting North Carolina Representatives, Senators, and candidates to tour their PA program facilities and classrooms, while engaging in robust discussions about the PA profession. Such visits are coordinated by PA students/NCAPA student members, with the support of their PA program and partnership with the NCAPA.
Recently in 2024, three North Carolina PA programs coordinated legislative visits with the goal of highlighting the PA’s critical role in a medical team, their lateral mobility that allows them to be the versatile solution in addressing healthcare shortages, and showcasing the rigorous training and curriculum that prepares the next generation of medical providers.
If your program would like to host or coordinate a legislative visit, please reach out to the NCAPA at (919)-479-1995.
Wake Forest PA Program
As part of his PAEA Fellowship, recent Wake Forest PA graduate and NCAPA member, Josh Penninger, PA-C coordinated a legislative visit for NC Senator Ralph Hise of District 47 at the Wake Forest PA Program’s Boone campus in March. Past NCAPA Student Representative, Emily Tiehen, worked alongside Penninger to coordinate this visit.
With a focus on rural healthcare, Senator Hise met with PA students to talk about a future where PAs continue to increase access to care and fill these healthcare gaps within the state.
Pfeiffer PA Program
In April, the Pfeiffer PA Program hosted a legislative visit with NC Representatives Wayne Sasser (R-Stanly), Kristin Baker, MD (R-Cabarrus) as well as candidates Grant Campbell, MD and Cody Huneycutt.
Spearheaded by NCAPA Student Member, Emily Baker, PA-S, Pfeiffer PA students offered a tour of the Albemarle facility, introducing the concept of the PA profession and the importance of investing in the education and training of future PAs, while ensuring PAs are named in state legislation.
Duke PA Program
This June, Duke PA student and NCAPA Student Representative Blake Glenn said, “Very few of us had any experience working with state politics, and advocating one-on-one with our representatives seemed like a massive pool to jump into without knowing how to swim.”
“With the help of NCAPA, Duke faculty, and our former NCAPA Student Representative Tina Hillman, we were able to put together a day that let students and representatives meet one another on a personal level,” Glenn continued. Along with NCAPA Student Director-at-Large, Tina Hillman, Duke PA-S2 and Duke first-year PA students, the legislative visited hosted Representatives Vernetta Alston (D-Durham), Allen Buansi (D-Orange), and Renée Price (D-Caswell). Students and faculty took legislators on informative tours around the Duke PA Program facilities highlighting the PA’s scope, skills, and rigorous medical training.
“It made me so happy to see our students, faculty, and representatives having fun while discussing the future of our profession in North Carolina. Our students are excited to continue advocating for the PA profession, and I think more than a few of us have caught the ‘advocacy bug.’” – Blake Glenn, PA-S1, NCAPA Student Representative for Duke PA
Photos courtesy of the Duke Physician Assistant Program
