What Is AAPA.org and What Does the American Academy of Physician Associates Do?

Updated

AAPA.org is the website of the American Academy of Physician Associates, the national professional society for physician associates (PAs). Its stated purpose is to advocate and educate on behalf of the profession. The site is a working hub for PAs, PA students, and educators: it publishes continuing education (CME) sessions and on-demand conferences, governance and volunteer information, research and salary data, job resources, and membership sign-up. Use it if you want profession-level news, CME, or career tools; it is not a patient-facing medical information site.

What the organization is

The American Academy of Physician Associates describes itself as the national professional society for physician associates that advocates and educates on behalf of the profession. That single sentence defines the site's scope: policy and professional advocacy, plus education for people already in or entering the field.

What you can actually do on the site

The navigation reflects the organization's main functions. Grouped by purpose:

Purpose What the site offers
Education / CME AAPA Conference, Leadership and Advocacy Summit, specialty conferences (e.g., Hospital Medicine, Psych Congress), webinars, and a large "on demand" library (Conference, Boot Camp, Galaxy, Family Medicine, Executive Leadership)
Governance and volunteering Board roster and bios, governance documents and policies, elections, House of Delegates materials, Student Academy board and committees
Career and compensation PA Jobs, a salary report, a cost-of-living calculator, employment-contract negotiation guidance, job-search resources
Research Publications and data briefs, research requests and partnerships, survey results (including a Harris Poll on the patient experience and an AAPA–Morning Consult survey), digital ePosters, fellowships and grants
Community Constituent organizations (state chapters, federal service chapters, specialty organizations, caucuses, special interest groups), the PA Foundation, awards
Membership A "Join" path that leads to a membership purchase page

How to use it, depending on your goal

  • Looking for CME: start from the Events or CME sections. The homepage highlights current top CME sessions and new specialty tracks; the "on demand" pages are the place for recorded content.
  • Student or new PA: the Student Academy section covers the board, committees, student society resources, and the student delegation to the House of Delegates. The career section adds salary and contract tools.
  • Researcher or journalist: the Research section is where data briefs, survey results, and the process for research requests and partnerships live.
  • Considering membership: the Join link goes to a membership purchase page. The site excerpt does not state prices, so check the purchase page for current dues and eligibility rather than assuming a cost.

Practical notes before you rely on it

  • Login and purchases can be interrupted. The site has posted a maintenance window (Sunday, October 26, 12:00–5:00 a.m. Eastern Time) during which login, purchases, and some information access may be affected. Plan time-sensitive CME or membership actions around such windows.
  • Cookies are used for functionality and personalization. The site states that continued use constitutes consent, with details in its Privacy Policy.
  • Membership vs. public content. Some material (member central, purchases) sits behind an account; much of the educational and research content is presented as general site content. The excerpt does not specify which items are member-only, so treat access level as something to confirm per page.

In short, AAPA.org is the professional home page for the PA profession in the U.S.: advocacy and education first, with CME, governance, research, and career tools built around that mission.