Louisiana Academy of Physician Assistants: About LAPA

History / Vision / Mission Statement / Membership Descriptions / Membership Benefits / Join LAPA

About the Louisiana Academy of Physician Assistants

History

In December of 1977 a group of seven military physician assistants from Fort Polk, Louisiana, and one civilian PA trying to obtain privileges from the State Board of Medical Examiners held their first organizational meeting with the hopes of forming the Louisiana Academy of Physician Assistants. By March of 1978 the LAPA had formed and in October of that year the LAPA had incorporated. Those early meetings were attended by about a dozen PAs who saw the future of our profession in Louisiana. Over the years the organization grew, laws were challenged and rules were rewritten. PAs were allowed to start practicing outside of the military, government, or public service arenas and the numbers gradually grew. In 2004 the state legislature passed Louisiana's PA prescriptive authority act and there are now over 300 licensed PAs in Louisiana with those numbers growing every month. Our annual CME conference draws 150 to 200 registrants who come to enjoy the good weather, superb educational events, and the eclectic nightlife of the French Quarter. The LAPA now has over 260 members and the Academy continues to work with and for the PAs of Louisiana.

Vision

The vision of the Louisiana Academy of Physician Assistants is to promote and provide excellent quality medical services to all citizens of the state through growth and utilization of physician assistants as an integral part of the Physician-Physician Assistant Team.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Louisiana Academy of Physician Assistants, in association with the American Academy of Physician Assistants, is to promote physician assistants in their professional pursuit of excellence and to strengthen their role in health care delivery through public education, continuing medical education, physician education, member services, physician assistant student involvement, and legislative efforts.

Membership Descriptions

Fellow Members: A LAPA Fellow Member is a CAHEA or CAAHEP-accredited PA program graduate or NCCPA-certified Physician Assistant who is also a Fellow Member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Rights to vote and hold office in the LAPA are restricted to LAPA Fellow Members in good standing.

Associate Members: Associate Members shall include those physician assistants who are eligible for AAPA Fellow Membership, but chose not to join the AAPA. Also those physician assistants who have been granted the title of physician assistant under the auspices of the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners are eligible for Associate Membership. Associate Members can not vote or hold office.

Dual Members: Dual Members shall include those physician assistants who are Fellow Members of the AAPA and another constituent chapter recognized by the AAPA. Dual Members cannot vote or hold office.

Affiliate Members: Affiliate Members shall consist of physicians (supervising and non-supervising), administrators and faculty members of any AAPA/LAPA recognized Physician Assistant Training Program. The LAPA will also accept, as affiliate members, any interested health care individual subject to the Board of Directors approval. Affiliate Members cannot vote or hold office.

Membership Benefits

Public Education -The Academy actively promotes the concept of the PA as an important part of the health care team and works to increase the profession's visibility.

Leadership Opportunities - LAPA members are invited to play an active role in the future of the PA profession by becoming active in one of the committees and/or running for office

Student Support - LAPA has always taken an interest in the future of the PA profession by encouraging and facilitating student membership. Students can attend the CME conferences at a reduced rate

CME Conferences - LAPA is known for its high quality CME conference which is held each year in September. Respected professionals and health policy makers present information on cutting edge medical topics, procedures and issues. Members attend the CME conferences at a reduced rate

Networking -The Academy's conferences, committees, and newsletters all provide excellent opportunities for PAs from different regions to meet professionally and socially.

Newsletter -The LAPA newsletter is the primary source of information to physician assistants in Louisiana. The newsletter provides up-to-date information on LAPA activities, legislative on goings, and CME updates.

PA Jobs - Le Journal provides a resource, as does our link to on this website, to look for jobs and or advertise listings for PAs for jobs located within the state.

Join LAPA

You can join LAPA by downloading a printable version and mail it to LAPA. This is a PDF file and you will need Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to print the form. The reader is free and can be downloaded from the Adobe Web site. Students can download an application in Word format here.

If you prefer, a secure online site for membership is available by clinking here.

Once your application has been accepted, you will be emailed a link to access the Member's Only section of this site. For a list of Member's Only content, see the Site Guide.