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Back to The Well
By
Patrick Knott, PhD, PA-C
APAP President
As we make the final preparations for our meeting in
Puerto Rico, I am very excited by the number of faculty who are registered
to attend. Judging by already completed registrations, this meeting
promises to be our largest to date! While this may be a reflection
of Puerto Rico’s great tropical location, it is also a tribute
to the growth of our educational community. The new workshops put
on by APAP’s Faculty Development and Research institutes continue
to be booked to capacity, and there are clearly many new faculty joining
our ranks every month.
I hope that they come away from this meeting with more
than a suntan. New faculty are one of our most valuable and important
resources, and we have a responsibility to make them feel welcome
and involve them in the Association as close as possible to the beginning
of their service in PA programs. APAP has a number of very busy committees
that need help and reinforcement, not to mention the new ideas and
fresh approaches that junior faculty bring. The more established among
us have a responsibility to develop APAP’s next generation of
leaders. And finally, APAP should assist PA faculty in becoming more
accomplished teachers, who can train better students.
Just recently, as APAP revised its mission and vision
statements, the Association also renewed its commitment to diversity.
When filling positions, one of our aims should be to populate committees
with members who mirror the diversity in our programs. The research
that shows that teams of diverse members are more successful than
teams comprised of people who think alike is heartening and supports
our efforts to introduce members who represent all segments of society.
This research shows, however, that even the most diverse teams become
less so over time as the members work together. To optimize performance,
the makeup of the team must be continually rebalanced by adding new
people.
With the numbers of attendees we anticipate coming to
Puerto Rico, this is a perfect time for each of us to meet faculty
who are new to us and get them involved. If you are a seasoned APAP
member, please make an effort to meet someone new. If you are new
to PA education, don’t be shy!
For those of you not able to attend the meeting, APAP
invites your participation as well. Let me assure you that you will
benefit tremendously from networking or interacting with colleague
faculty from other institutions. Committee chairs, either newly appointed
or named for second terms, will soon be contacting those faculty who
volunteered to serve on committees for the coming year, and as vacancies
arise, positions are advertised in the monthly APAP Update.
Please watch for these announcements and let us know if there is an
area you would like to help with.
I look forward to seeing many of my old friends and
making new ones soon. Safe travels!
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