Seven Ways to Celebrate PA Week—From the Classroom to the Community

PA Week runs October 6–12, and this year I’m especially excited to celebrate with the people who make our profession what it is: PA students, practicing PAs, mentors, patients, and the communities we serve.

The photos above capture two moments from our celebration in the Rio Grande Valley. Hidalgo County recognized PA Week last week, and the City of McAllen also joined us in honoring the profession. On October 6 at 6 p.m., we’ll celebrate another proclamation with the City of Edinburg. Seeing our local leaders recognize PAs means a great deal to me, especially when I think about the students preparing to become the next generation of clinicians.

Last year, our UTRGV PA students visited fourth graders at Canterbury Elementary for Mini PA for a Day. The children put on mini white coats, tried hands-on activities, and learned what PAs do. Joel Villanueva shared the story on Channel 5, and watching those students’ curiosity come alive remains one of my favorite PA Week memories.

Watch the Canterbury story: https://www.krgv.com/videos/edinburg-cisd-elementary-students-become-pas-for-a-day/

This year, our Project Access outreach includes volunteering at the HOSA Area 7 Fall Leadership Conference to help introduce future health professionals to the PA path. We’re also scheduled to appear on News Channel 5’s TAKE 5 segment on October 6 to kick off PA Week and spread awareness of the profession.

You don’t need a proclamation or a television appearance to participate. Here are seven ways to celebrate wherever you are.

1. Thank someone who helped you get here

Send a message to a preceptor, professor, colleague, or PA who made time for you. Tell them what they taught you and why it stayed with you.

2. Introduce a young person to the PA profession

Students can’t imagine a career they’ve never heard of. Visit a classroom, speak with a HOSA group, or answer a curious student’s questions. Even one conversation can open a door.

3. Bring PA Week into your community

Attend a local proclamation, organize a school visit, join a health event, or gather with other PAs and students. Invite someone along who is new to the profession.

4. Celebrate the whole care team

Thank the medical assistants, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, therapists, and staff members you learn and work beside. PA Week is a wonderful opportunity to show how much teamwork matters to patient care.

5. Encourage a PA student

Share a study tip, offer to mentor, check in before a difficult exam, or support a student scholarship effort if you can. A few kind words can carry someone through a demanding week.

6. Share your PA story

Why did you choose this path? What have your patients, classmates, or mentors taught you? Share a moment that helped you grow while keeping patient information private. Your story might inspire the next person to pursue this profession.

7. Learn something together

Quiz a classmate, revisit a clinical topic, or try a new study resource. This PA Week, we’re welcoming the wider community to PRO-PA Education and its free tools for learning, practicing, and growing together.

Did you know? PA Week begins on October 6 to honor the anniversary of the first graduating PA class at Duke University in 1967. Nearly six decades later, we’re still building on that beginning—one patient, one learner, and one community connection at a time.

However you celebrate, I hope you’ll pause to appreciate how far you’ve come and help someone else see what’s possible.

Your turn: How are you celebrating PA Week? Have you participated in a school visit, proclamation, or community event? Tell us in the comments!