We are the National Society of Black Physician Assistants
We are here to create a culturally responsible Physician Assistant workforce that adequately represents the diversity found in our world, and focuses on eradication of health disparities, especially in Black communities.
Who We Are
We are a group of Certified Physician Assistants/Associates (PAs) who recognize the lack of diversity in our field and the unique challenges many Black PA students and practicing PAs, face. We chose to address these concerns through the creation of a community of PAs, PA students, and pre-PAs, which encourages knowledge sharing, mentorship, and support. We believe an adequately diverse and humanity-driven field supports our mental health and wellbeing, as well as our patients. Please join us.
- Members
- 970
- Pre-PA Students
- 250
- PA Students
- 68
What We Do
Our goals are to: diversify the PA student body, specifically increasing the number of Black PA students; develop and maintain a national community of Black PAs; educate and support Black communities; and improve health outcomes in all communities with an emphasis on Black communities. We are reaching these goals by:
- High School Outreach
- Increasing the number of racially diverse high schools, and/or primarily Black high schools, that PA program outreach is targeting.
- Eliminate Application Barriers
- Reviewing the current application process and identifying barriers it creates for people of color with the goal of restructuring the process to eliminate those barriers.
- Create a Network
- Creating a network of Black Physician Assistants to mentor and support pre-PA and PA students as they navigate the classes/prerequisites, testing, and hands-on learning that are required to become a successful PA.
- Establish a Web Presence
- Creating a website and social media presence where Black Physician Assistants can interact and share knowledge.
- Sponsor Events
- Sponsoring events regionally and nationally to facilitate networking and relationship building.
- Maintain a Directory
- Maintaining a website directory to allow NSBPA members to connect.
- Champion CME
- Promoting and developing continuing medical education (CME) specifically designed to increase awareness of provider and system bias and its impact on health outcomes of people of color.
- Advocate for CME
- Advocating for CME credit requirements for all PAs, APRNs, physicians, and nurses to include bias recognition and mitigation, multicultural, and antiracism training.