Member Spotlights
One of the key reasons CAPA has grown and thrived over the past 50 years is our members. This page is dedicated to CAPA members, past and present, who have contributed to the evolution of CAPA and helped bring so many successes to fruition.
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CAPA Leader Spotlight: Dennis Tankersley, DMSc, PA-C
In Conversation with Heidi Terwey, PA-C, Member, CAPA Public Outreach Committee
The road to the PA profession: How did you become a PA?
I started college studying Aerospace Engineering, and around Calculus 3 I decided it wasn't for me—not because I didn't like math (I love it), but because I was looking for something more human. I had been a lifeguard in high school, and that summer, while home, I was offered a job working for the Navy as a contractor managing the lifeguards at the three pools on the Navy base next to the town where my parents lived. After accepting the position, I decided I should have more medical education than the guards I was leading, so I enrolled in an EMT course. That led to a job offer with an ambulance company.
A couple of years later, while on an EMS standby at a NASCAR race, the paramedic I was working with told me about a bachelor's program in Emergency Medicine at Loma Linda University. Intrigued, I applied, and it turned out I had fumbled my way through all the prerequisites and was accepted. It was in this program that I learned about the PA profession; my classmates and I had several structured debates about the graduate-level medical professions. I also realized—for the first time—that as a Navy kid, my own PCP had been a PA (I actually got her to be a preceptor for me a few years later during my PA clinicals). So I applied to PA school. Back then, getting accepted was "easy" compared to today, so despite a piecemeal education up to that point, I had my choice of schools and chose Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Leadership and Advocacy: Explain the path to becoming a leader in CAPA.
I've been a CAPA member for about 22 years, starting as a Student Member (back then, I hoped it would look good on my resume when I moved back from Philly). It was obvious to me even then that CAPA played a large, behind-the-scenes role in shaping how California PAs practiced. A friend and boss of mine, Cindy Flores, was heavily engaged, and she got me involved early, teaching suturing workshops at the Annual CAPA Conference in Palm Springs. That led to me running for Treasurer—I was defeated by Bob Miller, I think, two years in a row. But I stayed peripherally engaged and taught or volunteered where I could.
A few years back, Scott Martin, a prior EMPA Fellow who trained with me at Arrowhead Regional, was elected President-Elect, and he asked if I'd be willing to run for the Board again. Although I was prepping to open my own practice at the time and knew my free time would be limited, I couldn't say no to Scott (if you know him, you'll understand why—Scott has a way of making everything seem easy, and you always know he'll make things work). So I ran, was elected Director-at-Large, and then re-elected twice. This past May, I ran for Vice President and was chosen. I'm very excited to step into this role and further serve our members.
Outside of Medicine: Hobbies?
The best job I have is being Dad to a 14-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. My children and I love to ski. My son and I shoot trap, golf, and recently completed his first sprint-distance triathlon together (he beat me). Over the past two years I've completed two half-Ironman races and two DEKA events. My daughter and I will be teaming up for DEKA STRONG in a month. I'd like to say I enjoy these physical activities, but the truth is I'm a poor swimmer, bored on the bike, and I really dislike running. The sprint distances and lifting are more tolerable, but still not exactly fun. Yet we do them because it's a great way to bond, it's good for the body, and the aftereffect seems to be good for the soul.
My wife is an RN; she runs my company so I can spend more time enjoying the practice of medicine. And the truth is, work is my number one hobby. I don't really think of work as work. As PAs, we're amongst some of the highest earners in the country—after 20 years in this profession, if you spend prudently and save wisely, you shouldn't have to work. I get to work. Every day, I'm honored to care for patients in their time of need. Being a PA isn't a job, it's a calling, and I feel blessed to be trusted with the lives of others.
What does it feel like to be part of CAPA's 50th anniversary, and what are you most proud of as a member?
Fifty years of anything is a lot. CAPA and California PAs have been through a great deal, and because our mission has always put the patient first, PAs have endured and thrived. CAPA has been there all the way, often behind the scenes and unrecognized, going to bat for us. CAPA isn't some nebulous entity; it's real people, PAs like you and me, volunteering their time and working on behalf of all of us. CAPA's successes are not by accident; they've often been hard-fought. So celebrating them, and encouraging engagement, is very important.
Dennis's Message to Fellow PAs
Bureaucracy, unappreciative bosses, disengaged colleagues, empty printer toner, and glitchy EHRs all suck! The day-to-day of healthcare can wear on you. But as I’ve said, being entrusted with the lives of others is an honor. Don't forget that you earned—and re-earn—that honor every day you go to work. What we do matters, far more than many of us realize in any given moment. Our patients need us. Frankly, most of what they get from our healthcare system isn't great. But when they're treated by a PA, they notice the difference: they know they're heard, and they know they're being treated like family. PAs do that. I'm proud to call myself a PA, because our profession is a special one.
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