For healthcare professionals, learning doesn’t stop once you’re in the workplace. Continuing education ensures that physician assistants stay up-to-date with their knowledge, skills, and the latest patient care best practices. It’s not just a smart idea for PAs to take advantage of these courses and activities, either–it’s a requirement for maintaining certification. Let’s take a closer look at the different types of continuing education available and how you can take advantage of them.
Certification maintenance continuing education requirements
The 10-year maintenance cycle for physician assistant certification is divided into five two-year cycles. During each two-year cycle, PAs need to earn 100 continuing medical education (CME) credits. Of those, at least 50 need to be from category 1, and the remaining 50 can be of any type (there’s more info on these types of CME below).
These CME credits must be logged with the NCCPA in order to be counted towards your certificate maintenance. Credits can be logged through your account on the NCCPA website or using the NCCPA app for Android or iOS devices. The window to log CME credits opens every May 1st, and all credits must be logged by December 31st of each two-year cycle. Those who are newly certified can start earning CME on the issuance date listed on their certificate, and should keep documentation of the CME they’ve earned so that they’re ready for an audit.
State license renewal continuing education requirements
In most states, the CME you earn to maintain NCCPA certification is sufficient to also maintain an active license. There are some that have unique renewal CME requirements, though, and some jurisdictions have additional education requirements for those who have taken an extended break from clinical practice. You can get more information on the AAPA list of Statutory and Regulatory Requirements, or check with your state’s medical licensing board to learn the specific license renewal requirements where you practice.
Specialty certification (CAQ) maintenance requirements
After earning their PA-C certification, physician assistants can choose to earn one or more of the 10 Certificates of Added Qualifications offered through the NCCPA. Like the general certification, these must be maintained once they’re earned, and on a similar 10-year cycle. The main difference is that PAs only need to log 125 category 1 CME credits related to that area of specialty across the entire 10-year cycle. These same credits can also be put toward maintaining your general PA-C certification.
One thing to keep in mind is that CME credits in the specialty area are also required as a prerequisite to obtain a specialty CAQ. A total of 75 category 1 CME credits within the specialty area must be earned within the six years prior to the application, including 25 logged within two years of the application date. Like CAQ maintenance education credits, these credits also count toward maintaining your PA certificate.
Types of CMEs
There are two broad categories of ongoing education credits. The main difference between them is whether they’ve been reviewed and approved by an organization for medical professionals (category 1) or whether you document the activity on your own (category 2). Let’s take a closer look at each of these designations.
Category 1
Credits from category 1 have been reviewed against criteria established by organizations that sponsor or grant accreditation to CME activities. These include:
- The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA)
- The European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME)
- Category 1A credits from the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
- AAFP Prescribed Credits from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
- MOC credits from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
- Mainpro C or Mainpro-M1 CPD credits from the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) or Physician Assistant Certification Council of Canada (PACCC)
- AMA PRA credits from organizations accredited by ACCME
- AMA PRA credits from recognized state medical societies
In the past, physician assistants were required to include both self-assessment CME and PI-CME in their continuing education. While there is no longer a requirement to include specific types of CME, these more interactive forms of continuing education are weighted higher. The first 20 PI-CME logged in each two-year cycle are doubled, and all self-assessment and performance improvement credits after this count for 1.5 credits (so if you earn 10, you’ll get credit for 15).
All-purpose category 1 continuing education can take many forms. This can include attending live conferences, classes, seminars, and workshops, taking part in virtual seminars and events, or learning from pre-made resources like books, videos, or online courses. The most important component of CME content is that it develops, increases, or maintains knowledge related to healthcare, patient care, or the broader medical profession.
Certification programs
This subcategory of category 1 CME is earned by completing a certification or recertification program sponsored or approved by the AAPA. Credits from any given certification program can be logged only once in each calendar year, and no more than two times in each two-year cycle.
There are more than 50 certification programs preapproved by the AAPA, offered by providers including the American Red Cross and the U.S. military. The length and breadth of the course determines how many credits are earned on completion, ranging from a single credit for short programs to 50 for completing an extensive program like the Army Flight Surgeon course. You can review all the options and their credit value for PA CME on the NCCPA’s Preapproved Certification Programs list.
Performance improvement (PI-CME)
CME in the performance improvement category follows a systematic approach to plan, implement, and assess the quality of patient care in clinical practice settings. These activities encourage PAs to evaluate their own performance and behavior then use what they’ve learned to make targeted adjustments and improvements. Options in this category include:
- PI-CME credits from the AAPA
- Activities accepted for Part 4 MOC credit by the American Board of Medical Specialities (ABMS)
- ABMS Multi-Speciality Portfolio Program activities
- Activities accepted for Component 4 OCC credit by the AOA
In addition, many performance improvement activities sponsored by employers also qualify for PI-CME credit. You can find out more on the NCCPA’s website.
Self-assessment
Similar to PI-CME, self-assessment credits encourage physician assistants to think critically about their performance to identify skills or knowledge to target their areas of weakness. Most often, this involves taking an in-depth exam on a specific area of medical knowledge or patient care, then receiving feedback on your performance and using that to direct future learning. You can find self-assessment CME opportunities using the NCCPA online portal.
Category 2
Category 2 CME includes any educational activity related to the PA profession, patient care, or medicine that isn’t designated as a category 1 credit. These don’t need to be documented in the same way as category 1 credits. However, you also can’t use as many of them toward your recertification requirements, with a maximum of 50 in every two-year cycle.
As you can imagine, category 2 credits encompass a wide variety of activities. This even includes doing independent learning, like conducting clinical research, reading medical journals or reports, or attending an AAPA House of Delegates meeting.
FAQs
Do I still need to complete CME if I’m participating in the PANRE-LA?
As of 2023, the PANRE-LA counts as a Category 1 Self-Assessment CME credit. PAs participating in the PANRE-LA will earn two CME credits for each quarter they complete the questions. Of course, this will only get you a portion of the way to the 100 required credits, so you will need to complete other CME while participating in this program, but not as much as if you opt for the standard PANRE recertification exam.
How are CME credits tracked and recorded?
Category 1 credits earned through the AAPA can be reported to the NCCPA through their PA Portfolio tool, which is free and available to all members. Other credits can be logged manually with the NCCPA through their website or app, following the process outlined for the type of CME you’re logging in this step-by-step guide. Since these credits are self-reported, the NCCPA periodically audits physician assistants to ensure that they’re reporting their CME activities correctly.
What is a CME audit?
In an audit, the NCCPA reviews documentation that supports the Category 1 credits a PA has logged for the current recertification cycle. This is done to ensure the overall accuracy of the CME logging and approval processes, and the PAs chosen for audit are chosen randomly. A PA fails the audit if any of the reported credits can’t be verified, or if any credits were erroneously categorized. If this happens, they’ll still retain their certification and be able to continue with their role, but will be audited again in the following two-year cycle, and will need to pay a re-audit fee. PAs in the midst of a second audit are required to submit documentation of Category 1 credits at the time of logging, and must earn and document replacement credits by the end of the certification expiration year. If they fail to do so, they may lose their certification.