PAthways Program

PAthways is a signature program of the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) and the Physician Associate Foundation (PAF) that pairs physician associate (PA) mentors with college students, recent graduates, and early healthcare career professionals who are interested in becoming PAs, with the goal of supporting these pre-PAs on the journey to applying to PA school. The path to PA school can be daunting, and PAthways provides a one-on-one customized mentoring plan to help pre-PAs successfully navigate this process.

Program Features

Mentee Support

1:1 Mentoring

Mentees work with their mentor to develop a custom mentoring plan and meet one-on-one on a monthly basis over the course of a year to reach their goals.

Group Mentoring

Mentees participate in virtual group mentoring activities on topics that will help them apply to PA school, including:

• CASPA preparation
• Interview preparation
• Application preparation
• School selection process guidance
• Case study discussions
• Virtual shadowing sessions
• Virtual admissions days
• Virtual networking events with other PAthways students

In-Person Networking, Shadowing, and Professional Development

Mentees have opportunities to participate in in-person networking events and clinical shadowing opportunities, as well as to attend the AAPA annual conference.

Tailored Support

Each mentee receives access to no-cost AAPA conference registration, support for travel expenses, assistance with CASPA exam fees and coursework, tutoring, and an AAPA pre-PA membership.

Mentor Support

Mentors receive training and support to offer one-on-one mentoring to pre-PAs, including a mentor guide, webinars, and discounted AAPA conference registration.

PAthways in the News

• All about the PAthways program (FOX5, February 10)
• Healthcare professions are turning to grassroots tactics to increase diversity. Here’s how (LinkedIn News, February 13)
• Helping diversify the field of physician assistants, one mentee at a time (CityView, February 18)
• PA program seeks to increase diversity in health care (NBC4, February 19)
• Ignore the noise: Diversity matters, as a new Fayetteville health program shows | Opinion (The Fayetteville Observer, February 24)
• Howard university joins program to boost diversity in physician assistant workforce (ABC7, February 28)
• Perspectives From the PAthways Program: Fostering Diversity in the PA Profession (Clinical Advisor, February 20)
• PAs pioneering change: New mentorship program promotes a more diverse healthcare workforce (Greater Fayetteville Business Journal, March 6)

Learn More

For more information on getting involved with the PAthways Program, please contact:

Kim Williams, MPP
VP, Health Equity & Community Engagement
AAPA
[email protected]
571-319-4342