AAPA House of Delegates Report 2022

In May, the Connecticut Delegation traveled to Indianapolis to return to an in person AAPA House of Delegates for the first time since 2019. The mood of the room was one of excitement and eagerness. There were a number of topics up for discussion, including some that were being revisited from the past year.

Connecticut’s delegates were active and engaged in the proceedings, offering testimony on several areas where there was knowledge and expertise to be shared with the House. A few of the more notable and substantial topics of discussion included:

• A-01 which was regarding the AAPA Governance Commission and Nominating Work Group activities. There was much spirited debate on the topic, and ultimately it was tabled indefinitely.
• A-02 had the intent of expanding student ability to vote in the AAPA General Election, as referred from the 2021 House of Delegates, by allowing students elected to the Student Academy Board of Directors, the Student Delegation to the House of Delegates, and the elected Academy of Representatives to vote in elections. While the task force that worked on the issue did not recommend allowing students the ability to vote, their recommendation was pulled from the consent agenda for debate on the floor. There were many viewpoints shared on the topic, and ultimately the language was amended to allow those students elected to the Student Academy Board of Directors and the Student HOD Delegation to vote in the AAPA General Election.
• A-03 officially changes the name of the organization in the bylaws to American Academy of Physician Associates
• A-13 adopted language that states that physician associates should be referred to as such, or as PAs, and if referred to collectively with APRNs, the language should be PA/APRN and not APP, APC, or any other grouping term/acronym.
• B-03 amended policy to lift a restriction on the maximum number of Category 1 CME that can be awarded and claimed for precepting students.
• B-05 and B-06 were both focused on workplace leadership development
• C-04 adopted a position of reducing barriers to the use of methadone in the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder
• C-10 speaks to the team-based care that PAs provide
• C-16 improves policy language regarding the use of telemedicine and education/training for telemedicine
• NB-01 was a submitted resolution of condolence from the Ohio delegation that honors the life of the late John Trimbath, PA-C, who contributed so much to the profession in his years of service