AAPA is the national organization that advocates for all PAs and provides tools to improve PA practice and patient care. Founded in 1968, AAPA represents a profession of more than 168,000 PAs across all medical and surgical specialties in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories and the uniformed services. PAs are integral to modern healthcare and provide a solution to the demand for increased access to cost-effective, evidence-based, patient-centered care.