Society of Army Physician Assistants The 40th SAPA PA Refresh- er Course provided signifi- cant opportunities for PAs to learn and be heard in ways that advance the pro- fession. The board main- tained its high-quality PA Recertification curriculum and added a two-day mili- tary symposium that was held over the weekend. Military Symposium (Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard) The military symposium covered the entire range of opportunities for military PAs with early career planning with HRC Branch Man- agers, SAPA also hosted MG (Retired) Volpe who highlighted lessons learned from the Battle of Mogadishu and BG Rees who was a former medic who became a PA, then a Physician. Military Symposium Topics included: -Senior Leader Panel which covered the DHA Transition, LTHET, IPAP improvements and advice for promotion. -Whole Blood Transfusion. -Expeditionary Resuscita- tion Surgical Teams. -Lessons from the Battle of Mogadishu. Pay Disparities in the Federal Services (Retired PAs, Civilian PAs, Federal Service PAs) SAPA members met with the SAPA Board and AAPA Repre- sentative Tate to discuss how to address pay limitations for civilian and GS PAs working in Federal Services. SAPA also hosted one of the HRC branch managers to help See SAPA Opportunities, page 7 September 2019 Special points of interest: • Scholarship deadlines are Feb 1 for all scholarships • Federal PAs can now join SAPA • Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ sapa.org • We’re looking for volun- teers and article submis- sions! • JOIN SAPA TODAY WWW.SAPA.ORG/JOIN -US INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Presidential Transitions 2 AAPA 3 Major Aspirations 6 A PA at Oxford 8 SAPA N EWSLETTER 6 L ESSONS L EARNED FROM A J UNIOR PA AT SAPA 1LT(P) C HRISTIAN U NAEGBU In April 2019, I attended the 40th SAPA Refresher Course in Fayetteville, NC. It was well worth the money and the time. I was never a “conference guy,” especially Army conferences, but this one was different. The Mili- tary symposium was the win- ner. It created a channel for the Army PA to learn about the latest topics from walking blood banks to the DHA tran- sition. The symposium expanded my horizons. Prior to attending this conference, I didn’t have a plan for my career, I was just riding the waves. Now I have an idea of where I intend to be in three and five years from now. 1. I learned the power of AR 40-68, pg. 42: “Commanders are encouraged to provide the time and the necessary fund- ing …to ensure that all as- signed PAs remain current in their clinical skills.” My unit paid for this conference in- cluding the annual SAPA membership fee. I discovered many of my peers did not know that their units could pay for the trip. Some of them have decided they’d attend the next conference. 2. It’s important to let your Command team (Rater and Sr. Rater) know what you do. Sit down with them once eve- ry three months to discuss their expectations for you. It shows you're proactive and it will reflect on your OER. See Jr PA on page 9 40 TH SAPA R EFRESHER C OURSE B ROADENS O PPORTUNITIES FOR PA S MAJ A DHANA M C C ARTHY
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Society of Army Physic ian Assistants
The 40th SAPA PA Refresh-
er Course provided signifi-
cant opportunities for PAs
to learn and be heard in
ways that advance the pro-
fession. The board main-
tained its high-quality PA
Recertification curriculum
and added a two-day mili-
tary symposium that was
held over the weekend.
Military Symposium (Active Duty,
Reserve, National Guard)
The military symposium covered
the entire range of opportunities
for military PAs with early career
planning with HRC Branch Man-
agers, SAPA also hosted MG
(Retired) Volpe who highlighted
lessons learned from the Battle
of Mogadishu and BG Rees who
was a former medic who became
a PA, then a Physician.
Military Symposium Topics
included:
-Senior Leader Panel which
covered the DHA Transition,
LTHET, IPAP improvements
and advice for promotion.
-Whole Blood Transfusion.
-Expeditionary Resuscita-
tion Surgical Teams.
-Lessons from the Battle of
Mogadishu.
Pay Disparities in the Federal Services (Retired PAs, Civilian
PAs, Federal Service PAs)
SAPA members met with the
SAPA Board and AAPA Repre-
sentative Tate to discuss how
to address pay limitations for
civilian and GS PAs working in
Federal Services. SAPA also
hosted one of the HRC branch
managers to help
See SAPA Opportunities, page 7
September 2019
Special points of interest:
• Scholarship deadlines are
Feb 1 for all scholarships
• Federal PAs can now join
SAPA
• Find us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/sapa.org
• We’re looking for volun-
teers and article submis-sions!
• JOIN SAPA TODAY
WWW.SAPA.ORG/JOIN-US
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
Presidential Transitions 2
AAPA 3
Major Aspirations 6
A PA at Oxford 8
SAPA NEWSLETTER
6 L E S S O N S L E A R N E D F R O M A J U N I O R PA A T S APA 1 L T ( P ) C H R I S T I A N U N A E G B U
In April 2019, I attended the
40th SAPA Refresher Course
in Fayetteville, NC. It was well
worth the money and the
time. I was never a
“conference guy,” especially
Army conferences, but this
one was different. The Mili-
tary symposium was the win-
ner. It created a channel for
the Army PA to learn about
the latest topics from walking
blood banks to the DHA tran-
sition.
The symposium expanded my
horizons. Prior to attending
this conference, I didn’t have
a plan for my career, I was
just riding the waves. Now I
have an idea of where I intend
to be in three and five years
from now.
1. I learned the power of AR
40-68, pg. 42: “Commanders
are encouraged to provide the
time and the necessary fund-
ing …to ensure that all as-
signed PAs remain current in
their clinical skills.” My unit
paid for this conference in-
cluding the annual SAPA
membership fee. I discovered
many of my peers did not
know that their units could
pay for the trip. Some of
them have decided they’d
attend the next conference.
2. It’s important to let your
Command team (Rater and
Sr. Rater) know what you do.
Sit down with them once eve-
ry three months to discuss
their expectations for you. It
shows you're proactive and it
will reflect on your OER.
See Jr PA on page 9
4 0 T H S APA R E F R E S H E R C O U R S E B R OA D E N S O P P O R T U N I T I E S F O R PA S
M I L I TA RY PA S F I N D ME N TO R S A N D N E T WO R K I N T H E M I L E H I G H C I T Y BY CPT Melanie Hosker, CPT Sloan Kelly and LTC Amelia Duran-Stanton
AAPA 2019 Meet in the Mid-dle June 10, 2019 (Reprinted
with permission)
PAs eagerly gathered May 18-
22, 2019, in Denver, Colora-
do, for AAPA 2019. The con-
ference afforded not only an
opportunity for continuing
medical education with sub-
ject matter experts com-
manding up-to-date
knowledge, but also proved
to be a remarkable opportuni-
ty to network and connect.
The military PAs and students
participated in several events
such as the collaborative
meeting with the AAPA feder-
al advocacy team, the recruit-
ing booth at the exhibit hall,
the House of Delegates, the
Uniformed Services Symposi-
um, general session, award
ceremonies, the Distin-
guished Fellow reception, and
the research luncheon.
Recruiting Efforts
Military PAs spoke to confer-
ence attendees interested in
joining the military and gath-
ered information on those
who requested follow up with
a recruiter. The team shared
their experiences and satis-
faction with their careers to
help frame the responsibili-
ties and duties of a military
PA. This highlighted the in-
creased need of autonomy,
broad scope of practice, and
expansive resources with
which to practice in varying
clinical and austere settings
across the world. They also
discussed the numerous
clinical and trauma training
opportunities offered to mili-
tary PAs to improve patient
care and outcomes, at home
or on the battlefield. Addition-
ally, they provided infor-
mation on available programs
such as loan repayment of-
fered by each respective ser-
vice.
2019 AAPA Military Service
PA of the Year Award
COL David Hamilton, MPH, PA
-C, received this
year’s Military Service
Award for his more than 30
years of experience in the
medical community and his
military career. He currently
serves as Deputy Command-
ing Officer of Womack Army
Medical Center at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, and is the PA
Consultant to the Army Sur-
geon General.
Memorial Ceremony
This year’s Veterans Caucus
Memorial Ceremony, themed
“Wings of Courage,” highlight-
ed the historic and continued
role of the military PA – both
on the large scale of shaping
our profession, and on the
individual level of saving
lives. Jeremiah Pauley, from
Warriors Speak, shared his
story of physical visible inju-
ries sustained on the battle-
field and subsequent
“invisible” battle with PTSD.
Military PAs represented their
services in the color guard for
the ceremony and throughout
the conference.
House of Delegates, Distin-
guished Fellow Reception
and Research Luncheon
Several military and civilian
PAs who were elected to rep-
resent their services and
specialty groups attended the
House of Delegates meet-
ings. Military PAs also attend-
ed the Distinguished Fellow
reception and brought junior
PA mentees as their honored
guests. A few military PAs
also attended the research
luncheon with fellow re-
searchers to discuss current
research and potential future
collaborations.
Presentations at General
Sessions and the Uniformed
Services Symposium
Of the military PAs in attend-
ance, several presented at
least 10 lectures and CPT
Shameice Fischer presented
her team’s research during
an ePoster session. On behalf
of the presenting authors,
they acknowledged all con-
tributing authors’ collabora-
tion and support.
An Innovative Virtual Mentor-ship Program: A Delphi Study in Bridging the Gap between Senior and Junior Physician Assistants, presented by CPT
Shameice K. Fischer (co-
authors/contributors: COL
Robert S. Heath, COL Amy L.
Jackson, LTC Amelia M. Du-
ran-Stanton, MAJ Garrett W.
Larson, and CPT Brandon M.
Carius).
Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst: Mass Casualty Response, Triage, and Novel
Threats by CPT Charity Coe.
To CT or not to CT? When Acute Abdominal Pain is a Surgical Emergency by CPT
Charity Coe.
Is There a Fracture? Ortho-paedic Evaluation and Treat-ment of Polytrauma Pa-tients presented by LTC Ame-
lia Duran-Stanton (co-
authors/contributors LTC Ben
Kocher and MAJ Christopher
Cordova.
S. Military PA Panel: Where Do We See Ourselves In the Next 50 Years And Beyond?
Building on the Momentum: A Progress Report on Moderniz-ing PA Legislation by Jonathan
E. Sobel, DMSc, MBA, PA-C,
DFAAPA, FAPACVS, President
and Chair of the Board, AAPA
and Choice and Competition in
Health Care Brian C. Blase,
Ph.D. from National Economic
Council. He also discussed re-
forming America’s health care
system. Tons of networking and
breakout sessions were availa-
ble. I was excited to be one of
the many Servicemembers of all
branches, components and sta-
tuses, in attendance.
One of the primary goals of the
Leadership Advocacy Summit
weekend is to advocate for bills
on Capitol Hill. This year, the two
bills were Promoting Access to
M A J O R A S P I R A T I O N S : W H I T E H O U S E M E D I C A L U N I T B Y MAJ Adhana McCarthy
Major Aspirations is a Q&A session that highlights interesting and unique opportunities for mid-level PAs. These Senior Captains and Majors are making a difference in Army Medicine. CPT (P) Jennifer Smith, IPAP Class 03-09, describes her experience serving on the
White House Medical Unit.
Could you describe a typical day?
It’s extremely variable. I’m either in one of the clinics or I’m on the road for the different events. The job is very heavy on planning. We
had to make sure that we had a cohesive support plan for all of our locations.
What’s the best part of the job?
The best thing is the travel. Each new location will have things that are slightly different. It keeps me on my toes. I also get to see a lot of
locations that the rest of the public doesn’t get to see.
What’s the worst part of the job?
It’s an all-consuming job. Out of 30 days per month, I was on the road for 27 or 28 of those days. Even when I was back home, there
were lots of 24-hour shifts. For my colleagues who had families, it was reminiscent of PA school, family time was rare.
What personalities do well in the position?
People who are excited about traveling. The PAs travel the most out of the group. If you like medical contingency planning and a constant
challenge, this is a job for you. It’s important to be self-motivated and to have a positive attitude. Interpersonal dynamics are really
important with this job. I was interacting with people from all walks of life from generals, ambassadors, FBI agents, white house staff
members, secret service, and special ops. It’s important to understand all of their cultures to work together as a team.
What biggest thing you learned about yourself?
I had to learn about the pressure of being in a role with the smallest mistake could make a big difference or how to show up quickly on
multiple time sensitive project. I had to improve my personal interaction style for every person. I learned to adjust my communication to
fit with how people receive information. I learned very quickly to consider people who don’t think like me.
What’s a lesson you will take with you about the military?
I didn’t even know that position existed before I saw the announcement. But, on the regular Army side, I’m used to having people with
different skills and motivation levels. At places that are more selective, it’s fantastic to work in a team where people are super motivated
to make sure the mission was complete. It was really cool to see that happen.
Read any good books lately?
Books. Radical Candor. It’s really interesting from a leader perspective. It talks about how people tend to avoid difficult conversations.
But, you need to know that by speaking candidly, you're doing something good for the person as well as the organization.
Diabetic Shoes Act S.273/H.R.
808 and Physician Assistant
Direct Payment Act S.596/H.R.
1052.
Did you know that PAs cannot
order diabetic shoes for their
own patients under Medicare
despite being able to diagnosis,
treat and manage complex
comorbidities? PAs must send
their patient to a physician to
verify the diagnosis and the
need for these shoes, which
have the potential to prevent
significant morbidity and mortal-
L E A D E R S H I P A DVO C A C Y S U M M I T B Y CPT Melanie Hosker
ity through a low-cost lifestyle
intervention. The required addi-
tional visit with the physician
delays medical care, increases
medical costs and disrupts the
PA-patient relationship.
Did you know that PAs are the
only health professional that call
bill Medicare but cannot receive
direct payment for services
(unlike physicians, APRNs,PTs,
psychologists, podiatrists and
social workers)?
See ADVOCACY on p 11
SAPA Newsletter Page 7
COL D AV E HA M I LTO N , AAPA M I L I TA RY PA O F T H E Y E A R B Y MAJ Adhana McCarthy
TSG-PARA A N D HE RO O F M I L M E D I C I N E
In April, COL Dave Hamilton was
awarded the 2019 AAPA Military
PA of the year. When he is not
jumping out of airplanes with
WWII Veterans, COL Hamilton is
one of the leaders influencing
the transition to DHA as the
Deputy Commander of Opera-
tions at Womack Army Medical
Center, Fort Bragg, NC. COL
Hamilton is not a stranger to
being an effective leader. One
could argue that he has been
learning the leadership lessons
of showing up and being ac-
countable to teams since grow-
ing up on a tobacco and cattle
farm as a child.
Over his 34 year career, he has
advanced from being a volun-
teer EMT to a Special Forces
Commo/Medical Sergeant to
becoming a PA. As a PA he has
served in multiple roles in Infan-
try and Armored units to include
the 1-4 BN PA at Hoenfels, Ger-
many, Medical Company Com-
mander, and an IPAP Phase II
Coordinator. He earned The
Surgeon General’s PA Recogni-
tion Award in 2002. In these
roles, he increased access to
care, revived the Society of Euro-
pean PAs, trained Iraqi forces,
and mentored over 30 PAs dur-
ing their last year of training.
After earning his MPH, he
became the first PA to
command a Public Health
District at Fort Bragg. He
then served as the first PA
appointed as the Deputy
Commander for Health
Readiness at Fort Carson,
CO. Throughout his career,
COL Hamilton has been an
advocate of PAs and patients,
constantly striving to stream-
line services and improve the
practice environment. He
also has been a long-time
Board Member for SAPA. It is
no surprise that this outstand-
ing leader has been recognized
by the PA profession as a whole.
Congratulations, COL Hamilton!
LTC Stephen Delellis was award-
ed the Hero of Military Medicine
Award from the Henry Jackson
Foundation. LTC DeLellis re-
cently retired as the Deputy
Command Surgeon for the Unit-
ed States Army Special Opera-
tions Command (USASOC) at
Fort Bragg, NC .
This prestigious award is pre-
sented by the Center for Public-
Private Partnerships (CP3) at the
Henry M. Jackson Foundation
for the Advancement of Military
Medicine, Inc (HJF). See:
https://pahx.org/assistants/del
ellis-stephen/.
LTC Johnny Paul was awarded
the 2019 TSG PARA Award. As
the OIC of the Soldier Medic
Training program at AMEDD
Center and Schools, he lever-
aged his years of tactical medi-
cal experience and enhanced
the front line medical care for
Soldiers. He recently has com-
pleted his DMSc and is also an
Assistant Professor at Uni-
formed Service University Col-
lege. For more information on
LTC Paul’s career, see:
https://pahx.org/assistants
/paul-johnny-w/.
with career planning and men-
torship. The course maintained
its outstanding EKG workshop,
added a course on Battlefield
Acupuncture and covered critical
topics like opioid prescribing
guidelines.
Current Research and Career
Advancement
Attendees were also able to
learn about current research
being conducted by researchers
from FORSCOM, EUCOM,
PACOM, CENTCOM, AFRICOM as
well as civilian schools through
the academic poster competition.
Representatives from University of
Lynchburg and Rocky Mountain
University were among the ven-
dors discussing with PAs how to
advance their careers with a
DMSc degree.
PAs recognized
LTC Amelia Duran-Stanton was
awarded the Scully Award for her
outstanding service supporting
SAPA. CPT Shamiece Fisher and
co-authors won the poster presen-
tation on using the internet to
leverage PA Mentorship. Dr. An-
drea Lowendorf
with LTC Amelia
Duran-Stanton won second and
MAJ Robin Cushing won third
place for her poster on PreP Pre-
scribing Guidelines.
Relationships Deepened
The consensus among the most
loyal SAPA attendees is that they
return to reconnect with a unique
group of high-quality people who
share in the camaraderie of their
profession. It is only here that
today’s recent IPAP graduate can
sit down with the PAs who sacri-
ficed career advancement to push
for PA commissioning. At SAPA,
uniformed PAs from all compo-
nents can meet face to face and
share best practices. Mid-career
PAs can have candid conversa-
tions with the senior PA leaders
and glean insights about the fu-
ture direction of the profession.
PAs from multiple generations
can share stories and forge
strong bonds in the hallways be-
tween sessions, at the Presi-
dent’s Welcome Dinner, after the
grog ceremony or during a late-
night session of karaoke.
MAJ Adhana McCarthy, PA-C PhD Candidate F 187th Student Det,
Oct 6-12 , 2019 PA Week is coming. Start your planning. Apr 20-24 , 2020 SAPA Refresher Course. Submit CME requests now. May 16-20, 2020 AAPA Nashville. Stay tuned for the Uniformed Services Sym-posium.
SAPA Newsletter Page 9
Are the rumors true? The
Army Medical Department
Center & School (AMEDD
C&S) Captain’s Career Course
(CCC) will undergo a multitude
of changes for fiscal year
2020. The major changes are
coming as an effort to train
medical officers to the stand-
ard of their counterparts in
the combat arms area of con-
centration.
19 October 2018, AMEDD
C&S realigned under Training
and Doctrine Command which
allows for all training pro-
grams to fall under the same
command. The driving force
for the new change is for
medical officers to receive
similar operational training to
that of non-medical officers.
Previously, there was a re-
quirement to complete a 40-
hour online training course
prior to enrollment into phase
II of CCC. Due to the changes,
the online phase I course is
no longer a requirement.
Phase I has been replaced
with a 50 question doctrine
exam given to students within
the first three days of the
course. Students will be pro-
vided with a study guide in
preparation for the doctrine
exam.
The previous 9-week phase II
course will now be 20 weeks.
Within the course, more time
is built into the schedule for
individual study. In addition
to more study time, more
emphasis will be placed on
teaching medical officers
Army doctrine. A field training
exercise (FTX) will also be
built into the schedule. The
FTX will be a Defense Support
of Civil Authorities exercise.
Tentatively, the FTX will last 2
weeks at Camp Bullis. Class
19-191 will be the first class
to conduct this FTX in the past
10 years.
So to answer the question,
yes! The rumors are true. Get
ready for some changes in the
AMEDD C&S CCC.
Additionally, the GRE will be a
requirement for all CCC gradu-
ates. The Army will fund the
test fees, but they will be
used for talent management
in the future.
CPT Naikeya Coston, PA-C is the
Physician Assistant for 2-8 CAV,
1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood,
TX
Changes to Captains Career Course BY CPT Naikeya Coston
3. There are opportunities for
Army PAs in this new migration
to DHA. The Army is scaling up
the authorizations for PAs. It is
a great time to be a PA.
4. SAPA is a good place to
network. It’s great to see lead-
ers in your field who have gone
ahead of you and are doing
amazing things. You get to hang
out with them in an informal
setting and learn from their
wealth of knowledge. As an LT,
this was invaluable to me, as I
get to ask these leaders ques-
tions and get immediate feed-
back from them.
5. We can gain new skills at
SAPA. I learned how to do
Battle Field Acupuncture (BFA).
I had never heard of it until this
conference. Already, I am
using it in my routine practice.
6. Meeting the HRC Rep was
priceless. I talked one-on-one
with my branch manager and
he made great career recom-
mendations based on my inter-
ests.
Overall, it was a great experi-
ence for me to attend the SAPA
Refresher Course. It opened
my eyes to many rich experienc-
es. I will continue to attend
going forward.
1LT (P) Christian Unaegbu, PA-
C is the 1-7 ADA Physician
Assistant for the 108th Air De-
fense Artillery Brigade Fort
Bragg, NC
Jr PA Lessons (Cont. from page 1) USAR Corner Many of us know that profes-
This program is possible only due to the generosity of SAPA Members. Individuals may make donations into our scholarship fund, which are 100% tax deductible, as SAPA is a non-profit
organization.
Donations may be sent to the SAPA address above, ATTN: Scholarship
Fund.
S C H O L A R S H I P OP P O RT U N I T I E S F O R PA S A N D T H E I R FA M I L I E S
SAPA is a civilian organiza-tion representing and sup-porting the US Army Physi-cian Assistant, including Former, Active, Retired, Reserve and National Guard PAs. The Society's goals are to provide a forum for discussion, representa-tion with the AAPA, and to provide high quality, low cost CME to the Society's members and to the PA
profession.
CPT Sean P. Grimes
SAPA Newsletter Page 11
The BOD wants to extend a
warm
Thank You
to the volunteers who make
the SAPA Refresher Course
possible every year!
41st Annual PA/Medical Provider
Refresher Course
April 20 - April 24, 2020
Holiday Inn Express (formerly Holiday Inn) at I - 95 Hotel & Convention Center
Fayetteville, North Carolina
$275 - $450
37 AAPA Approved CAT 1 CMEs
Featuring
Military Symposium, PA Refresher Course, Special Skills Workshops
Building the Bench: Junior PA Mentorship Program and the Council of Junior PAs, presented by CPT
Shameice Fischer (co-
authors/contributors: COL
Robert Heath, COL Amy
Jackson, LCL Amelia Duran-
Stanton, MAJ Garrett Lar-
son, and CPT Brandon Cari-
us).
Expanding Opportunities for PAs in the Military Health System and Beyond pre-
sented by COL David Hamil-
ton, LTC Avery Carney, MAJ
(R) Jimmie Keller, and CPT
Timothy Pekari.
Transforming Government Healthcare Organizations with Lean Daily Manage-ment presented by COL
David Hamilton, COL Amy Jack-
son, LTC George Barbee and
LTC Amelia Duran-Stanton.
The Future of the Military Health System and the National De-fense Authorization Act presented by COL David
Hamilton.
Emergency and Disaster Man-agement: Needs Assessment Implementation presented by
Ms. Mary Showstark and LTC
Amelia Duran-Stanton.
Travel Medicine: A Dose of Pre-vention presented by LTC Mary