Tetzlaff’s passion for oncology began as a nurse when she cared for postoperative cancer patients on an inpatient surgical floor followed by nursing in an outpatient surgical oncology clinic. She entered the Duke University Physician Assistant Program knowing that she wanted to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and become a part of the dynamic and fast-growing oncology field.

Her PA career started at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston where she focused on caring for patients with cancers of the lung and head and neck. While at MD Anderson, Tetzlaff founded and directed the Thoracic Oncology Education Series, served as a clinical preceptor for PA students, and participated in the MD Anderson Ambassador program.

After four years at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Tetzlaff relocated to Philadelphia in 2008 and has worked at the Fox Chase Cancer Center since that time. At Fox Chase, her clinical focus is on cancers of the genitourinary (GU) tract, including prostate, kidney, bladder, penile, adrenal, and testicular cancers.

Tetzlaff has been active in representing the PA profession at Fox Chase where she is currently serving as the chairperson for the Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Committee. She has also served as chairperson of the APP Recognition and Professional Development Committee. She has an interest in education, serving as a clinical preceptor as well as lecturing on the management of treatment-related adverse effects for patients with GU malignancies. She is on the planning committee and is a Walk Ambassador for the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) Walk to End Bladder Cancer.

Let’s start with the role of the PA in oncology. Why is the PA role so important in oncology?

As data by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has shown, there is and will continue to be an increasing shortage of oncologists, particularly in rural areas, in the coming years. As the number of persons with new cancer diagnoses and cancer survivors is also predicted to increase each year, there’s a need for PA/APP oncology providers to help mitigate these shortages. With our training, PAs can really have a positive impact on the quality of cancer care we provide to these patients.

Tell us about the APAO: What is your association’s mission?

Our mission is to promote the utilization of physician assistants and the delivery of exceptional care to people with cancer and related disorders. We’re a non-profit specialty organization affiliated with the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), and we’re mostly comprised of PAs, but our membership is open to other health care providers like nurse practitioners (NPs) and pharmacists. We work in all oncology disciplines, we practice in both research and clinical settings, and we’re the only national organization representing PAs specializing in oncology.

How large is your membership? Why should PAs in oncology join APAO?

APAO currently has about 750 members and there are many reasons why PAs in oncology should join APAO. No. 1, it is a great place to network with other PAs in oncology. It’s also a great way to get educational content, and we have a lot of educational offerings. We have a podcast series worth 0.75 category 1 CME credits per episode. We also offer an annual oncology symposium—we’re approaching our 26th Annual Oncology Symposium for the Healthcare Provider—that usually offers over 20 category 1 CME credits.

Working with Horizon CME we collaborated to produce Oncology 101, which offers 7 category 1 CME credits, and that’s ideal for new grads or APPs new to oncology. APAO members also receive a discount in registration to the Horizon CME APP Oncology Summits and the MD Anderson-sponsored Surgical Oncology Advanced Practitioner Conference.

APAO offers lots of ways to keep updated on current oncology care and practice, and the networking opportunities at the conferences and on committees can facilitate future career endeavor opportunities. I think being a member of APAO is a great way to give back to the profession and impact the future of APPs in oncology. It’s also a great way to advocate not only for oncology PAs, but the entire PA profession.

How did you yourself get involved with APAO?

It was at a point in my family life, after having three kids, and they were getting a little bit older, and I was at a point in my career where I had been a seasoned oncology PA and I wanted to get involved in PA advocacy and contribute to the PA profession, particularly the oncology PA, beyond the institution where I worked. I was a member of APAO but not actively involved at the time. I decided APAO was an organization that could help me fulfill some of my career and personal goals, so I sought a position on the Board of Directors, was fortunately elected secretary at the time, and then moved on to president-elect and subsequently president. I have been active on the Board of Directors for the past five years.

I have always had an interest in patient education and also educating and precepting PA students. I’m the co-chair of APAO’s Education Committee so it’s really been great to produce some of the educational content and be on planning committees. I’ve been on the Oncology 101 Planning Committee with Horizon CME. I’ve also been able to speak on my oncology expertise, which happens to be kidney, prostate, and bladder cancers.

How does the APAO’s Mentorship Program work? How can PAs get involved?

It’s a great way for PAs and PA students to get involved with APAO. The Mentorship Program offers PA students in their last year of school who have an interest in oncology or new grads who are new to oncology to be matched with an oncology PA mentor to get individualized support, professional guidance, and to enhance the growth and lifelong learning and advancement of the mentee’s academic and professional career.

This year’s program kicked off on Feb. 28 and the mentors and mentees were matched. The goal is for communication between the mentor and mentee to occur at least once every three months. We have an outline of the program and topics suggested to cover. Both the mentor and mentee take a pre-program survey and then a post-program survey to help us evaluate and continue to improve the program. This is our second annual mentorship program. The first one was very well received. We had 10 mentor/mentee matches the first year and have grown to 20 mentor/mentee matches this second year.

What are APAO’s educational offerings for PA students?

We have a lot of opportunities for students and invite them to join APAO. PA students can join for free, and we offer educational content, oncology training resources, our Career Center, the Mentorship Program, and more. Students in their last year of PA school who have a strong interest in pursuing a career in oncology can apply for our Student Scholarship Award, which is a $2,500 scholarship we award to two students each year. The deadline for applications is April 30, 2023. We also have our Student Outreach Committee where students can network with other PA students interested in a career in oncology and develop student-centered initiatives within APAO. We’re also in the process of seeking a student representative on the Board of Directors.

Tell us about your partnerships. Let’s start with Horizon CME APP Oncology Summits.

We’ve had the partnership with Horizon CME for approximately 5 years. The partnership has been great because Horizon CME is really driving educational content and conferences specifically for oncology APPs. This partnership in which APAO has been assisting in the development and implementation of evidence-based live and enduring medical educational activities has been fantastic. It’s provided a lot of offerings to our membership, not only enabling members to attend these conferences at a discount but also to be involved as Planning Committee members or speakers at these conferences where the goal and the aim is to enhance knowledge, competence, and performance of APPs in cancer care.

How is APAO partnered with the Physician Assistants in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (PAHPM)?

The PAs in Hospice and Palliative Medicine is a very specified group within the oncology PA profession focusing specifically on supportive oncology and palliative medicine. It’s a unique niche within oncology. By partnering with PAHPM we have been able to enhance access to oncologic palliative care resources and educational opportunities. It’s been a great way for both groups to continue to support one another.

How does APAO advocate for its members? Do you work with the AAPA or does APAO play an active role?

Yes, we work with the national organization. APAO also had an Advocacy Committee, and one of the efforts we were working on was assessing PAs’ chemotherapy prescribing privileges—they do vary from state to state and also institution to institution. Assessing that and coming up with potential practice recommendations has been one of our goals. We are working to revitalize to continue this particular advocacy.

What legislative efforts are you keeping an eye on either at the state or federal level with regard to scope of practice for PAs?

We’re with the AAPA, supporting those state and federal efforts for PAs to practice at the top of their license and maximize privileges. APAO participates in AAPA’s Leadership and Advocacy Summit, a conference that takes in place in Alexandria, Va., but also comprises a Hill Day where we meet with our congressional representatives and senators and advocate for changes to bills and laws that impact PAs.

Will you be changing the name of your organization to the Association of Physician Associates in Oncology as the AAPA recently did?

We will eventually as this rolls out and through the guidance of APAA as well.

Your podcast series has covered a variety of topics such as how to get hired as an APP in oncology, CAR T-cell therapy, the treatment and management of Wilms’ tumor, GI stromal tumors, and rectal cancer. What topics are you planning to cover in future editions?

Some of our future topics include talking with PAs who participate in a vascular access team, which is a unique role. Another topic will be discussing soft tissue sarcoma. We will be having a PA mentor and her two former PA students on to discuss their research findings on vitamin D and ovarian cancer. We also plan to have an APP leadership podcast as well as invite members of PAs in Hospice and Palliative Medicine to discuss having difficult conversations, such as initiating hospice conversations.

Is your association active on social media? Are you active on social media? What are the APAO’s handles?

We’re on Instagram (@the_onc_pa), LinkedIn, Twitter (@APAOnc), and Facebook.

When and where is the 26th Annual APAO Annual Oncology Symposium for the Healthcare Provider? What can attendees expect?

We resumed in-person meetings this past August of 2022. We’ll be having another in-person annual symposium Aug. 24-27, 2023 at the Hilton Denver City Center in Denver, Colo. We’re still in the planning stages for that but the agenda will be coming soon. We already have a date and site set for our 27th annual symposium, which will be Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 2024 at the Omni Nashville Hotel in Nashville, Tenn.

Is there anything else we should have asked you about regarding APAO?

We invite new members to join and to become actively involved in APAO by either joining one of our many committees or as a new member of our Board of Directors. Also, we offer awards to our members, including an Investigator Award, a Research Award, an Academic Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award, and anyone interested should check out our website for more information.

For more information about the APAO, visit its website at https://www.apao.cc/ or contact us at admin@apao.cc