{"id":10437,"date":"2017-03-28T09:53:27","date_gmt":"2017-03-28T16:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/?post_type=post&#038;p=10437"},"modified":"2022-04-04T19:48:32","modified_gmt":"2022-04-04T19:48:32","slug":"pa-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/magazine\/2017\/03\/28\/pa-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"PA Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"dropcap\">A<\/span><strong>s the PA profession marks its 50<sup>th<\/sup> birthday<\/strong>, there are several ways to take measure of its resounding success. First and foremost is the sheer number of licensed PAs currently practicing in the U.S, which is rapidly approaching 110,000. A recent AAPA survey indicates that that this number will increase 38 percent by the year 2022, with some 8,900 new PA graduates entering the workforce each year along the way. Additionally, the survey finds that 90 percent of U.S. hospitals currently employ PAs, with an even larger percentage planning to \u201cmaintain or accelerate PA hiring\u201d in the year to come. And of course, PA training programs are growing both in size and number in educational settings across the country in response to this demand. At last count, there are 218 PA programs currently up and running in the U.S., with over 40 more waiting to come on line.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PA Leadership\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AYKN3h0ZgEo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Another indicator of the success of the PA profession is the increasing number of PAs who are assuming administrative and leadership roles in hospitals, clinics and healthcare facilities across the country. Though the number of leadership positions held by PAs is growing at a slower rate than the overall trends for PAs working as clinicians\u2014 \u201conly 15 percent of survey respondents indicated that PAs at their [hospital] facilities are in management positions, such as department chair or committee member,\u201d reports the AAPA\u2014 it is growing steadily nevertheless.<\/p>\n<p>Who are these PA leaders? What is the range of administrative roles that they occupy? What led them to pursue positions of leadership? What resistance have they met along the way? And what might those PAs who are considering taking on leadership roles in their clinics, hospitals and workplaces learn from these pioneers? We took these questions recently to three PA leaders, all graduates of MEDEX Northwest and all \u201cfirsts\u201d in holding their administrative positions as PAs.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ed-Lopez-BW.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10440\" src=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Ed-Lopez-BW.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Ed-Lopez-BW.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Ed-Lopez-BW-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Ed-Lopez-BW-1024x573.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Ed-Lopez-BW-768x430.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt\"><strong>Ed Lopez, PA-C, C.P.M.M. (MHA)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A graduate of MEDEX Northwest\u2019s Seattle Class 15 of 1983, Ed Lopez recently retired as Founder and Facility Medical Director of Franciscan Inpatient Hospital Medicine Service at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Enumclaw, WA. He also held the title of Associate Medical Director of Enumclaw Health &amp; Rehabilitation Center. Over a total of 20 years, Lopez served as the Assistant Regional Medical Director for the Franciscan Inpatient Team\u2014the first formal \u201cHospitalist\u201d program on the West Coast integrating MD\u2019s &amp; PA\u2019s working collaboratively together in Hospital Internal Medicine \u2013 founded in 1996.<\/p>\n<p>He was the first non-MD \u2018Medical Director\u201d within any of the five Franciscan Health Hospitals and any of the 105 hospitals in 19 states that the Franciscan\u2019s parent company, Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), owns or operates out of Denver.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBelieve me when I say, some people didn\u2019t know what to think,\u201d says Lopez.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10441\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10441\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ed-Lopez-small-shot.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10441 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Ed-Lopez-small-shot.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Ed-Lopez-small-shot.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Ed-Lopez-small-shot-250x300.jpg 250w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Ed-Lopez-small-shot-853x1024.jpg 853w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Ed-Lopez-small-shot-768x922.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10441\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ed Lopez, PA-C, C.P.M.M. (MHA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Before assuming these leadership positions, Lopez served for nearly seven years on the National Commission for the Certification of PAs, a time that he looks back upon as \u201ca great journey.\u201d He helped to provide \u201ca non-primary care perspective on the national commission, build a surgical component to the exam, and have the commission understand that there is a large group of non-primary care PAs out there who need good representation on the national commission board.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lopez also served as President of the Washington Academy of Physician Assistants (WAPA) from 1992 to 1993. Working closely with WAPA colleagues, Lopez spearheaded efforts to rewrite state statutes and licensure for the PA profession in Washington State. \u201cFor years we had been certified providers, and then were able, after three legislative sessions, to get not just certification but to be licensed providers, which meant a world of difference regarding payment for services as well as legal support. So that was my commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Taking on the Facility Medical Director position at St. Elizabeth Hospital meant taking on what Lopez calls an \u201cevolutionary process in leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLike most jobs like this, you don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know. You do everything that needs to be done. If you\u2019re the manager of a small restaurant, you also wear the apron. You\u2019ll be cutting vegetables, and you may even be sweeping the floors. When I started here, my commitment to being a success was such that I made sure that I wore the apron.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He worked clinical shifts, managed the schedules, hired and administered physicians and PA s, wrote by-laws, developed and refined national guidelines, and looked for \u201copportunities to improve the care to be the best that we had to offer.\u201d These were among the \u201cnuts and bolts\u201d of building a program from the ground up.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/Gabe-Zecha-BW.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10442\" src=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Gabe-Zecha-BW.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Gabe-Zecha-BW.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Gabe-Zecha-BW-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Gabe-Zecha-BW-1024x573.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Gabe-Zecha-BW-768x430.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt\"><strong>Gabrielle Zecha, PA-C, MHA<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Gabe Zecha is currently Director of Advanced Practice Providers within the Division of Oncology, Transplant and In-Patient Services, as well as Associate Medical Director at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Gabe has been in this position for two years, with the previous six years on the SSCA Oncology\/Hematology Supportive Care Team.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10443\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10443\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/Gabe-Zecha-small-shot.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10443 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Gabe-Zecha-small-shot.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Gabe-Zecha-small-shot.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Gabe-Zecha-small-shot-250x300.jpg 250w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Gabe-Zecha-small-shot-853x1024.jpg 853w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Gabe-Zecha-small-shot-768x922.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10443\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gabrielle Zecha, PA-C, MHA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A member of MEDEX Northwest\u2019s graduating Seattle 29 class of 1997, Zecha worked on the Transplant Service at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, then put a year into family practice, followed by a year doing General Oncology at the Seattle Veteran\u2019s Administration Hospital, before coming to the Cancer Care Alliance in 2007 as the lead for General Oncology PA and NPs. \u201cAt that time there were 10 of us. There are now around 70. Add to that our transplant colleagues, we have about 130 PAs and NPs that are working out of this building or with our oncology patients at the university.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In her current capacity as Associate Medical Director, Zecha is the first non-physician to hold the position of Associate Medical Director at the Cancer Care Alliance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur Medical Director, who\u2019s a great advocate for PA s and Nurse Practitioners was the one who suggested it. I\u2019m sure there are people who don\u2019t think it\u2019s appropriate. But most of the feedback I get from my Medical Director and fellow Associate Medical Directors has been outstanding and very welcoming. It\u2019s about PA-NP utilization and dispelling myths to encourage the use of people at the top of their licensure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s quite an honor,\u201d she confesses. \u201cI sort of pinch myself every once in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jon-Lowe-BW.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10444\" src=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Jon-Lowe-BW.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Jon-Lowe-BW.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Jon-Lowe-BW-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Jon-Lowe-BW-1024x573.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Jon-Lowe-BW-768x430.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt\"><strong>Jon Lowe, PA-C<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Jon Lowe graduated from MEDEX Seattle Class 19 in 1987, and has been a PA with Kaiser Permanente (formerly Group Health) since 1989. He currently holds the position of Physician-In-Chief for Snohomish District with the Washington Permanente Medical Group. A \u201cgood portion\u201d of his earlier career at Group Health was spent working fulltime in clinical medicine, followed by some 15 years of working in various administrative and leadership roles. This included his time serving as Assistant Medical Director in Primary Care, with oversight of over 10 clinics and around 180 physicians.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10445\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10445\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jon-Lowe-small-shot.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10445 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Jon-Lowe-small-shot.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Jon-Lowe-small-shot.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Jon-Lowe-small-shot-250x300.jpg 250w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Jon-Lowe-small-shot-853x1024.jpg 853w, https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/03\/Jon-Lowe-small-shot-768x922.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10445\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jon Lowe, PA-C<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Asked to reflect on how a PA becomes a leader and manager of other physicians, Lowe focuses his answer less on his own proven abilities than on the historically strong relationship between physician assistants and physicians that began early on at Group Health, and that has grown and been sustained over the years since.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPart of it is me, obviously, getting the job done, and in building good relationships along the way. But I think it\u2019s mostly about the relationships that exist at Group Health between our physician assistants and our physician. It\u2019s been a very trusting and respectful relationship that started on in the early 1970s, when MEDEX started having its students trained and eventually hired at Group Health, and built those deep roots many years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the physician assistant profession marks its 50th birthday, opportunities have arisen for PAs to assume leadership roles within hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Three PA leaders\u2014all MEDEX alumni\u2014are profiled here. Together they exemplify a future where PAs can fill major roles in medical administration. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10439,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medex-stories"],"cp_meta_data":{"_edit_last":["1"],"student_name":["PA Leadership"],"_webdados_fb_open_graph_specific_image":[""],"_thumbnail_id":["10439"],"_oembed_time_ba4fcad2c017b4ca1d2a6a5378c47fd6":["1513706330"],"_oembed_ba4fcad2c017b4ca1d2a6a5378c47fd6":["<iframe width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AYKN3h0ZgEo?wmode=transparent&amp;rel=0&amp;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" gesture=\"media\" allow=\"encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_webdados_fb_open_graph_specific_description":[""],"_oembed_d5ee61e6582444c4c9f631220fb79e84":["<iframe title=\"PA Leadership\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AYKN3h0ZgEo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_d5ee61e6582444c4c9f631220fb79e84":["1649020387"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10437"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17187,"href":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10437\/revisions\/17187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/familymedicine.uw.edu\/medex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}