VAPAA's History and Accomplishments
1965: PA Profession is born
1967
1971:
1972:
1975:
1980:
1984: VAPAA is founded
1986: 717 PAs employed by the VA
1988:
1989: VAPAA is chartered as a constituent chapter of the AAPA
1991: “General Guidelines for Physician Assistants” (VA circular 10-91-117) is published:
--PAs have “managing” physicians required to be available for immediate consultation via telephone
--All PA orders require physician co-signature
1993: First Chairperson of the VA’s PA Field Advisory Committee is appointed and involved in writing the
PA Qualification Standards, including the ability for PAs to advance to Grade 13
1994: VAPAA holds its first independent CME conference in Minneapolis, MN
1995:
which restructures VA PA practice
--PAs have a SOP and “supervising” physicians that require daily contact by phone or in person
--All initial inpatient/outpatient H&Ps and discharge summaries require co-signature
--PAs have Rx authority and orders written by PAs no longer require co-signature
1997:
2000:
2002
2004:
--Lists specific duties PAs can perform
--Provides requirements for PAs to prescribe controlled and non-controlled medication
--PAs are considered to be “supervised” by physicians
2007: PAs have prescriptive authority in all 50 states, DC and Guam
2008: Over 1,600 PAs employed by the VA
2010: 1,878 PAs employed by the VA
2011:
2013:
--the term "collaborate" is used to describe the relationship between PAs and Physicians instead of the term “supervise”
--Physician co-signature is not required on PA notes or orders --PA autonomy levels established
--Facility Lead PA positions are established
2015:
--Convert PAs to LPS to remain competitive with the private sector
--Include education debt reduction incentive (EDRP) in all PA job postings
--Include PAs in the hierarchy for funding allocation for scholarship program (EISP)
--Streamline PA hiring process at VA
2017:
adding them to the Title 38 Locality Pay System (LPS)
2018:
to provide care to Veterans across state lines when using telehealth technology
2020:
2021:
2022:
The stars above signify the tremendous dedication and effort made by VAPAA which has successfully advanced the PA profession in the VA system