Health Professionals to Explore Improving Well-Being of Clinicians, Clinical Students During AAPA 2022 Conference

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 10, 2022) — The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) will bring together thought leaders across health professions for a symposium exploring best practices to improve the well-being of clinicians and clinical students during its 2022 conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The symposium, which will take place Monday, May 23 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, is part of AAPA’s commitment to mental health as a national health priority and its ongoing efforts to protect the PA profession against burnout. In 2019, the AAPA House of Delegates and Board of Directors established a Taskforce on PA Burnout to promote PA wellness through education, awareness, research, and more.

According to the 2022 AAPA Digital Salary Report, 46% of PAs reported they are experiencing symptoms of burnout.

Eric Tetzlaff, MHS, PA-C, DFAAPA, chair of AAPA’s Taskforce of PA Burnout, said burnout not only adversely affects clinicians but negatively impacts the healthcare system and patient care.

“The goal of the symposium is to bring together multiple stakeholders to address provider burnout and well-being in hopes of addressing burnout for the entire team and not focusing on a single discipline,” Tetzlaff said. “However, more importantly, it will help focus on strategies and interventions for the multidimensional factors that lead to burnout across all healthcare professions, specialties, settings, and career stages.”

Participants will include leaders from a variety of medical organizations including the American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; employers including Mount Sinai, Mayo Clinic, Northshore, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Nebraska Medicine; and researchers from Yale, The Ohio State University, and George Washington University.

The symposium will consist of morning sessions (7:30 a.m. to noon EDT), which will include a moderated panel presentation and Q&A, and an afternoon session (1 to 5 p.m. EDT), which will be held as small group discussions. The goal of the afternoon sessions is for attendees to discover and capture information, pool skills and resources, and create deliverables to take back to their organizations.

The AAPA symposium is supported, in part, by American College of Lifestyle Medicine and Pertexa Health Technologies.  These partners are committed to ensuring the well-being of our clinician workforce, giving them the tools and education they need to improve well-being in the workplace.

All media is invited to attend; please see the registration form for media.

AAPA 2022 is the only national PA conference with thousands of PAs from across the country in attendance. The conference will take place May 21-25 in Indianapolis, Indiana. For more information about AAPA 2022, go to aapa.org/conference.

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Media Contacts:
Jenni Roberson, 703.380.2764
Josh Birch, 443.614.5896

About the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA)

AAPA is the national membership organization for all PAs (physician associates/physician assistants). PAs are licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. Trusted, rigorously educated and trained healthcare professionals, PAs are dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness through patient-centered, team-based medical practice. PA has been named one of the best jobs overall and one of the best healthcare jobs for the fifth year in a row by U.S. News & World Report. The PA profession ranked number three this year in Best STEM jobs. Learn more about the profession at aapa.org and engage through Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.