Student Leadership:
Why Should You Care?

By Raylene Lawrence
APAP Student Member at Large

As 2004-2005 APAP Student Member at Large, I am excited to contribute to the positive relationships that exist between APAP, AAPA and SAAAPA. I appreciate the warm reception I have received as well as this opportunity to introduce myself and discuss my goals for the upcoming year.

I am a second-year student at the University of Washington MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistant Program. Immediately prior to PA school, I was the administrator of a small long-term care facility in rural eastern Washington whose mission was hospice care. I was also trained as an emergency medical technician and a certified nursing assistant.

Education has always been appealing to me and, before I began PA school, I frequently found myself talking to groups of people. As health care providers, we are constantly educating patients, families, and each other, which is why becoming a physician assistant seems to be a culmination of all my interests. I continue to gravitate toward education and the leadership roles it opens. I have served as president of my student society, represented my program in the 2003 Assembly of Representatives in New Orleans, and recently completed my SAAAPA appointment as Western Region Communications Chair.

I believe student leadership is the foundation on which APAP and AAPA are built. I believe that if we want our profession to continue to thrive, we must encourage student leadership by requiring student society formation at each program and actively supporting participation at regional and national levels. I believe leadership should be part of the formal curriculum of each program. As APAP Student Member at Large, I will strive this year to demonstrate why.

Many thanks to my APAP Student Member at Large predecessors and especially to last year’s representative, Jennifer Marquez, who set the bar high for me. I would like to emphasize SAAAPA’s appreciation and respect for APAP, and I anticipate continued growth between our organizations and within our profession. Please contact me at apapsmal@aol.com with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

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