OMAHA, Neb. – A growing number of practicing physician assistants are creating content on TikTok and Instagram to grow the profession and mentor the next generation of PAs.
These content creators came together in October at College of Saint Mary (CSM) for The PAth, a one-day conference for future and practicing physician assistants.
“Our goal is to offer PAs mentors to turn to when they need support,” said Matt Roesner (@mr.mattpac), assistant professor of physician assistant studies at CSM, who helped organize the conference and was a speaker.
Current CSM physician assistant students attended the conference, which featured breakout sessions on landing your first job, getting through the first year as a practicing PA, finding a specialty area and preventing burnout.
Amidst a growing shortage of physicians across the country, physician assistants are helping to expand access to healthcare. To increase awareness about the need for PAs, some practicing providers are creating content on social media platforms.
Roesner and other physician assistant content creators connected online and began discussing meeting in person. The meet-up evolved into The PAth conference.
Joseph Rad (@TheRaddestPA), a critical care and aesthetics physician assistant from Atlanta, Ga. and one of the most-followed PAs on social media, was the keynote speaker.
CSM’s two-year hybrid Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies prepares students to become skilled and compassionate PAs through hands-on clinical experiences, rigorous academic coursework, faculty mentorship and a close-knit learning community. Graduate programs at CSM are open to women and men.