Physician Assistants, Physician Associates

Certification or Licensing

Currently, all states require that PAs be certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). To use the credential, physician assistant-certified, applicants must be graduates of an accredited PA program and pass the Physician Assistants National Certifying Examination (PANCE). According to NCCPA, the examination consists of two parts:

"1. Organ systems and the diseases, disorders and medical assessments physician assistants encounter within those systems; and

"2. The knowledge and skills physician assistants should exhibit when confronted with those diseases, disorders and assessments."

Once certified, PAs are required to complete 100 hours of continuing medical education courses every two years, and in addition must pass a recertification examination every 10 years. Besides NCCPA certification, most states also require that PAs register with the state medical board. State rules and regulations vary greatly concerning the work of PAs, and applicants are advised to study the laws of the state in which they wish to practice.

Physician assistants can also earn certificates of added qualifications from the NCCPA in 10 fields such as emergency medicine, hospital medicine, nephrology, and occupational medicine.

"All 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories, the U.S. military, and many employers have decided to rely on NCCPA certification as one of the criteria for employment, licensure, or regulation of PAs," according to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. Some states grant temporary licenses to physician assistants who have applied for the PANCE. For permanent licensure, most states require verification of certification or an official record of their exam scores.