PPI Certification NCCPA

Question 1

Obtaining a PA license

Answer 1

-graduate from an accredited PA program
-pass certification exam
-to maintain: 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years & recertification exam every 10 years

Question 2

National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)

Answer 2

-national
-initial certification and maintenance of certification (MOC) are under the auspices of the national commission on certification of physician assistants
-serve the public through exemplary programs that evaluate critical PA competencies and that require the pursuit of life long learning and improvement
-make the PANCE

Question 3

NCCPA Stakeholders

Answer 3

-MD/DOs
-public (primary stakeholder)
-PAs
-PA students
-PA programs and faculty
-board and staff
-third party payers
-state licensing agencies
-credentialing bodies
-employers

Question 3

Participating Organization NCCPA

Answer 3

-American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
-Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA)
-American Academy of Family Medicine
-American Academy of Pediatrics
-American College of Emergency Medicine Physicians
-American College of Physicians
-American Medical Association
-American Osteopathic Association
-American Association of Medical Colleges
-Federation of State Medical Boards
-Department of Veteran’s Affairs
-American Hospital Association
-American College of Surgeons

Question 3

National Certification for PAs: Initial certifcation

Answer 3

-occurs after graduation from an accredited program
-PA national certifying exam (PANCE)- MC questions that assess fundamental medical and surgical knowledge
-300 multiple choice
-5 blocks of 60 questions, 60 minutes / block
-6 tries in 6 years
-PA-C once you pass
-national certification

Question 4

Certification and Recertification Exams

Answer 4

-certification (PANCE) and recertification (PANRE) exams focus on the skills that primary care providers need to know in order to be effective practitioners
-NCCPA blueprint
-guides program content

Question 5

each question on PANCE

Answer 5

-organ system (not specialty)
-task area

Question 6

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) prior to 2014

Answer 6

-evert 2 years- must earn submit 100 hrs of CME credit
-at least 50 must be Category 1 (pre-approved)
-any CME program recognized by: American Academy of Physician Assistants, American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Surgeons, Recognized State Medical Association, Other Sources Approved by the AAPA/NCCPA
-category 2: CMW includes other related medical learning: publications, independent study, certain teaching and presentation activities, professional development directly related to patient care

Question 7

recertification (prior to 2014)

Answer 7

-physician assistant national recertification exam (PANRE)
-every 6 years
-MC questions (computer based exam)
-no reference material allowed
-240 questions
-4 hours to complete

Question 8

newer option for PANRE

Answer 8

-60% of exam is still generalist
-can now choose the content area for remaining 40%:
-adult medicine
-surgery
-primary care- womens health, derm, peds

Question 9

MOC/recertification changes beginning in 2014 cycle

Answer 9

-exam every 10 years
-2 new CME categories (still 100 every 2 years)
-self assessment CME- award 50% additional credit for all activities designated for self assessment category 1 CME
-performance improvement (PI-CME)- first 20 PI-CMEs logged during every 2 year cycle will be doubled
-a self-assessment activity worth 10 credits will be converted to 15 credits by NCCPA and 10 PI-CME credits will be converted to 20 credits.

Question 10

why change

Answer 10

-MDs moved away from just CME to continuous professional development
-of the 6 domains of PA competencies which ones did the previous process assess -> medical knowledge

Question 11

PI-CME

Answer 11

-PA centric data driven activity focused on the needs of the individual PA made up of 3 stages:
-1. compare some aspect of your practice to national benchmarks, performance guidelines or other established evidence based metric or standard
-2. based on the comparison, develop and implement a plan for improvement in that area
-3. evaluate the impact of the improvement effort by comparing the original results with the new results or outcomes
-DATA!

Question 12

New MOC requirements

Answer 12

-1-4 CME cycle- during each cycle, earn 100 CME credits including 50 Cat. 1 credits with 20 earned through self assessment or PI-CME activities
-5th CME cycle- earn 100 CME credits including 50 category 1 and pass PANRE

Question 13

specialty certificates of added qualification (CAQs)

Answer 13

-voluntary credential that certified PAs can earn in 7 specialties: CV and thoracic surgery, emergency med, hospital med, nephrology, orthopedics, pediatrics, psychiatry
-intended to respond to needs of specialties and is controverisal

Question 14

benefits for PAs

Answer 14

-Recognition for their specialty experience, skills and knowledge.
-Offers a credential - effectively document their specialty experience and expertise.
-Keeps PAs competitive

Question 15

specialty certificates of added qualifications (CAQs)

Answer 15

-To qualify for specialty CAQ, -> 2 basic pre-requisites: current PA-C certification and (2) possession of a valid, unrestricted license
-For PAs meeting basic prerequisites, CAQ includes 4 requirements:
-1. Category I specialty CMEs
-2. one to two years of experience
-3. procedures and patient case experience appropriate for the specialty.
-4. a specialty exam

Question 16

life long learning

Answer 16

-One characteristic of a professional.
-Presents challenges in terms of cost and time.
-Intended to insure that physician assistants maintain their knowledge and skills over the course of their professional lifetimes

Question 17

PA Week

Answer 17

-october 6-12
-Before it was a weeklong event, National PA Day was first celebrated on October 6, 1987 in honor of the 20th anniversary of the first graduating class of PAs. October 6 is also the birthday of the profession’s founder Eugene A. Stead Jr., MD.