New Certification Process for PAs
It's a new year, and whether fortunately, or unfortunately (i'll let you make that opinion yourself), there is a new certification process in 2014 for physician assistants. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) originally instituted the recertification exam for PAs in the 1980s, and this is the first major change since then. The new process includes a switch from a 6 year recertification process to a 10 year certification process. These changes are taking place for three groups of PAs:- People certified for the first time (probably YOU, students reading this blog)
- People certified AGAIN after a lapse in certification (have you left practice for a few years due to medical leave of absence? possibly a leave of absence for childcare reasons?)
- People who complete a 6-year certification maintenance cycle in 2014
If you don't fit any of these categories, you will transition to the 10 year cycle as you complete the 6-year certification maintenance process already in progress.
What's the Same?
- Still required to earn/log 100 CME credits during every "2-year" CME log cycle
- Those 100 CME credits must include 50+ Category 1 credits
- PANRE exam still at the end of the process
