The 8 Best Physician Assistant Social Media Sites You Should Be Following

The 8 Best Physician Assistant Social Media Sites You Should Be Following

If you thought Facebook was cool, wait until you see what these sites have to offer. No seriously, they give you so much more than what your sister’s boyfriend’s cousin’s brother ate for dinner last Tuesday. Instead of checking Instagram every 5 seconds, why not check Twitter and scroll through these accounts to see if there are any new updates in our profession or any scholarship deadlines coming up? Educate yourself, stay informed, and improve your life one step at a time, starting with your mobile device.

1. PAEA Networker. A personal favorite of mine. This is by far one of the best sites available. Whoever updates this site is a PA guru. Throughout the year I get lots of the content for my blog including scholarships, fellowships, residencies, new programs, new PA advancements, PA legislation, CASPA news, end of rotation, PACKRAT, and PANCE news, new PA opportunities in education, and much more. The list is really endless on this site. It has really become a Facebook for me. I check it pretty regularly for updates. Sad part is they don’t update it as fast as the pug vines are popping up on my Timeline.
2. PAEA on Twitter (@PAEAonline). You would think this would be just a recollection of their blog, but it totally isn’t. They post about current health trends, PAEA news, health news articles, HRSA funding announcements, NHSC announcements, the current PA program count, new PA programs, new CASPA releases, and much more.
3. PAProNow on Twitter (@PAProNOW). This is PA Professional’s twitter account and they always let you know when the new issue is available and provide a link to it on twitter, which I love for easy access. They provide first look access to new issue content and they retweet lots of relevant public health announcements. They retweet other PA programs and PA societies and provide and provide their own PA statistics when they can. They are very active in every way and I love that about their account.
4. Physician Assistants on Twitter (@physicianassist). This twitter account is internationally recognized and they post a ton of articles and lots of helpful information from a variety of sources. I love that you’ll find information about PAs in the UK and everywhere else across the world on this account. They also use lots of photos and links to videos in their posts, which I like. They post lots of “Top 10” this and that of 2015...etc. lists that are very helpful for physician assistants.
5. PA Focus Twitter (PA_focus). PA focus is geared more for pre-PA students and has lots of information about CASPA walkthroughs, PA chat sessions, etc.
6. SAAAPA on Twitter (@SAAAPA). SAAAPA is the Student Academy of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and has way too many A’s to keep track of, but that doesn’t keep them from updating their twitter account. Their posts remind students about awards, scholarships, contests, poster sessions, and lots of other helpful information for current PA students.
7. AAPA on Twitter (@AAPAorg). This is the American Academy of Physician Assistants twitter account. They post thousands of articles from a variety of topics much like the @physicianassist twitter account. Additionally, they will post about CME opportunities, jobs, and advice from current PAs.
8. PA Student Essentials Blog. This blog is written by current PA students for PA students. They write articles about the great things PA programs around the nation have done and about upcoming opportunities such as awards, scholarships, and the annual challenge bowl. If you haven’t been to this site before, check it out. They have lots of helpful didactic and clinical information as well as what happens after PA school. They also spotlight a PA student every month!

So, why did I write this blog post and what does it mean to you? Well, I get asked a lot - how do you know so much about everything? Plain and simple - I read it somewhere at some point. These sites have become an integral part of my life and will be for my future as a PA. You may not have time to read PA professional or JAAPA magazine each month, but you may be able to subscribe to a Twitter update or some of these other sites. Some of these organizations even have Instagram accounts. So before you spend all of your time trying to decide what photo to choose next for your throwback thursday or flex friday pic, give some of these a try.

AAPA’s Instagram Account - Celebrate #PAweek on Social Media