On February 13, 2013, Tami Ritsema, MPH, MMSc,PA-C, attended a meeting at the United Kingdom House of Commons as a member of a delegation from the UK Association of Physician Assistants (UKAPA) along with Jeannie Watkins, past president of UKAPA, and Kate Straughton, who is the current president of UKAPA. (Tami’s the tall one in the middle, below.)
Kate Straughton (current President of UKAPA), Tami Ritsema, and Jeannie Watkins (Past President of UKAPA).
The three went to lobby for regulation of the Physician Assistant profession, which is currently not regulated in the UK. They met with two members of Parliament, senior staff members to health committees, and representatives of the National Health Service to make their case, but the process of lobbying takes time. Although they didn’t see any breakthroughs at this meeting, they continue to press their case with the British government.