You are among the first to hear about a Society that will incorporate in the next 30 days that is being developed for the needs of senior advance practice clinicians. There is always a time when we need to set our sails into the winds, use our creativity and innovation and create a silver lining for our professions. As one reaches the age of 60, their focus looks at the future or perhaps at a glim future. The following idea will make this far less grim and provide an enduring service to thousands of clinicians.This was an original idea of Joe Hlavin, a former president of the Neurosurgery PAs who I knew when I chaired the AAPA Surgical  Congress. Joe is in a heavy duty Neurosurgical practice, looks on the young side but chronologically must be over 55. His initial idea was to put together a group of senior PAs who had something to add to the profession as lifetime PAs. His thoughts were education, mentoring, research, etc. As you know, there are not many PAs who embrace research, mainly because they have had little instruction on the essence of gathering information.

I was approached by Joe a few months ago and considered other implications , such as a safety net for PAs of retiring age where they can still maintain productivity, make less than they did in their prime but not be dependent on a social security check and move from surgery to office practice or from a hospital clinician to carrying a clipboard and doing infection control, regulatory work, consulting in a department, quality review or H&Ps rather than to waste their experience and throw them out like so much garbage. This can be something for either PAs or preferably for both PAs and NPs to strengthen our bridge and to create a senior group of advisers to both professions. 

Not every state has convenience clinics such as Redi clinic  and this would also be a nice fit for those that want part time work. Hospitals can get smart and relieve the congestion in their ERs by having such units , staffed by older professionals who have the savvy to not miss the diagnosis but to assist the patient into a state of wellness , either through the proper care or preventitive medicine and counseling. this would allow younger practitioners to see heavier presentations, continue to grow beyond the fundamentals and to learn more about their area of specialty without the distraction of caring for the low hanging fruit..

There are many needs that can be accomplished by such a society and I feel that we can make a tremendous contribution to the health care universe by just being available and prepared for transition.

There will be more to follow but Joe has started a site and I will be on the first BOD and we are looking for at least two other people who would be dedicated to this concept and future reality. I always try to remain cutting edge and this can be an enduring gift to our profession by way of utilizing skilled clinicians in a world that is top heavy with the needs of the sick, the infirm and those that cannot leave their homes. Imagine a traveling service of senior providers who have the time to do the house calls and yet do not need 100,000 dollar salaries. This can be a an answer to health care needs in this country and will be forwarded on to the Surgeon General and in a letter to the President.

Call me or return an e-mail as I just decided to use this as an article to place on the internet sites that will alert other interested professionals.

Warm regards,

Bob Blumm

Robert M. Blumm has received national recognition as a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). He is the past president of the Association of Plastic Surgery Physician Assistants, and was past-president of the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants, past president of the American College of Clinicians and NYSSPA, as well as Chairman of the Surgical Congress of the AAPA. In addition, Bob received the John Kirklin MD Award for Professional Excellence from the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants. Along with his associate, Dr. Acker, Bob was the first recipient of the AAPA PAragon Physician-PA Partnership Award.  He has been a contributing author of three textbooks, written 300 plus articles and is a sought out conference speaker throughout the United States.

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