PA Sign InJune 2012 NewsBlast
PA Professional Profile Reminder
Report from Toronto
Two Special Announcements for PAs in Psychiatry
Register Now for a CAQ Exam to Guarantee Your Spot
Congratulations to iPad Winners
Certification Maintenance Reminder for the 2010-2012 Cycle
Congratulations to Honorees
Tell Us Who You Think Deserves to be Recognized for Making a Difference in the PA Profession
PA Professional Profile Reminder
If you haven't completed your PA Professional Profile yet, please sign in to your personal certification record at www.nccpa.net to complete yours today. The Profile can easily be completed in less than 10 minutes.
And thank you to those who have already completed the Profile! More than 20% of certified PAs have already contributed to data collection that will help measure the impact PAs have on patient care.
NCCPA staff and Board members had the opportunity to talk with hundreds of PAs at the AAPA Annual Conference in Toronto last month. The questions asked had a recurring theme: the new certification maintenance process that starts in 2014.
The general buzz was a positive one as most PAs are looking forward to the transition from a six-year recertification testing cycle to a 10-year cycle. Many also had questions, though, about the transition process and the new requirements.
Already-certified PAs will transition from the current process to the new one at the end of their six-year cycle beginning in 2014. That means that those who are starting a new six-year cycle this year or next will have another six years before moving to the new process.
You have a note about your transition timeline on your My Record page; sign in to your personal certification record to view it.
Some PAs also had questions about the new self-assessment and PI-CME requirements. Those are specific types of CME credits that will be required in the new 10-year process within the 100 CME credits PAs are already required to earn. Later this year, AAPA and NCCPA will be able to share more specific examples of activities that would satisfy those new requirements. In the meantime, for more information about the new process, including a description of self-assessment and PI activities, watch our video at http://www.nccpa.net/CertMain. You can also find many of the answers to your questions at http://www.nccpa.net/Faq#3.
Two Special Announcements for PAs in Psychiatry
Request from the Association of Physician Associates in Psychiatry (APAP)
The Association of Physician Associates in Psychiatry (APAP) is aggressively seeking to improve reimbursement and credentialing by private healthcare plans for PAs working and delivering services in psychiatry and needs your help. To support this effort, APAP is conducting a brief survey to further identify reimbursement issues and the scope of the challenges facing psychiatric PAs in practice.
By clicking on the link below you are "opting-in" to participate in the survey and help the cause.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/APAPREM06242012
NCCPA's involvement in this survey is limited to the distribution of this message. This survey is being conducted solely by APAP. NCCPA is not involved with the development, content, compilation or analysis of the results of this survey.
Date Change for Pilot Administration of the Psychiatry CAQ Exam
The date of the pilot administration of the Psychiatry Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) Exam announced last month has been changed to Sunday, October 21.
The October administration was added as part of a pilot project to assess the efficacy of conducting CAQ exams in conjunction with large gatherings of specialty PAs. This pilot administration will follow a three-day psychiatry CME course conducted in Atlanta by the Association of Physician Associates in Psychiatry. NCCPA is not involved with the development, planning, content, or administration of the course.
If this pilot administration is successful, NCCPA may offer similar stand-alone exam administrations in conjunction with other events in 2013.
The October 21 exam will be offered only at an Atlanta-area Pearson VUE center. The Psychiatry Exam will be offered nationwide on September 10.
Online registration for the October administration of the Psychiatry Exam will open July 1 and close October 12. Registration is open now for all September CAQ exams.
To read more about the Psychiatry Exam, including additional details for those considering the October administration, go to http://www.nccpa.net/Psychiatry.
Register Now for a CAQ Exam to Guarantee Your Spot
If you're interested in earning a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in 2012, register now and schedule your exam with Pearson VUE by July 9 to be guaranteed a testing appointment on September 10. Still working on the prerequisites? That's okay. Applications will be accepted throughout the summer. But sign up as soon as possible for the best shot at a convenient test center location. Read more about the CAQ program online.
Congratulations to iPad Winners
During the month of May, both NCCPA and the nccPA Health Foundation gave away iPads in conjunction with promotion of the CAQ program and the new PA Professional Profile. Congratulations to winners Alana Kelly, PA-C and Amy Allen, PA-C!
Certification Maintenance Reminder for the 2010-2012 Cycle
Does your certification expire this year? Log your 100 CME credits and pay the certification maintenance fee by June 30 to save $50. The discount will be reflected on the payment screen of your personal certification record at https://www.nccpa.net/PA/Default.aspx.
Still earning your CME credits? The final deadline for earning and logging 100 CME credits and paying the $130 certification maintenance fee for the 2010-2012 cycle is December 31.
First-time CME loggers may have different options. To learn about those options, go to http://www.nccpa.net/ContinuingMedicalEducation.
If you are due to take and pass PANRE by the end of this year and have not yet done so, keep in mind the last day of testing this year is December 21.
Two leaders within the NCCPA family of organizations were recently honored with awards presented at the AAPA conference in Toronto.
Ruth Ballweg, MPA, PA-C was awarded the highest honor in the PA profession: the Eugene A. Stead, Jr. Award of Achievement. Ms. Ballweg has devoted a tremendous amount of time in service to NCCPA, the nccPA Health Foundation and the PA History Society, shaping each of those organizations in countless, positive ways. She has been an integral member of the PA profession for over 30 years and with a committed spirit has truly made an impact, serving as a clinical PA program director, PA educator, consultant, published author, speaker and a national and international advocate for the profession.
To get a glimpse into the breadth and depth of her contributions to the PA profession and to patient care, watch this short video that was shown before Ms. Ballweg delivered her acceptance speech at the PAramount Evening awards banquet.
You can read more about what Ms. Ballweg has done for the PA profession in her biography on the PA History Society Web site.
Cynthia Lord, MHS, PA-C was presented the Outstanding PA of the Year Award for her passionate support of PAs and their patients. Ms. Lord has served the PA profession in many capacities and currently serves as a member of the Board of the nccPA Health Foundation. She was honored as a champion for volunteerism for her work promoting literacy and oral health, organizing medical care for migrant farm workers, and raising money for organizations caring for the homeless. For more, watch this short video.
Congratulations also to Jack Gardner, PA-C (Humanitarian PA of the Year); Vicki S. Chan-Padgett, MPAS, PA-C (PA Service to the Underserved); Lt. Col. Pamela A. Lucas, PA-C (Federal Service PA of the Year); Dwight Deter, PA-C and W.J. Strader, MD, FACP, FACE (Physician-PA Partnership Award); and PAragon Publishing Award winners Monica Jean Furman, PA-C; Danielle M. Kruger, PA-C, MS Ed; and Linda Jean Sekhon, DHSc, PA-C.
Photo courtesy of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.
Tell Us Who You Think Deserves to be Recognized for Making a Difference in the PA Profession
Do you know a PA who has made a difference in the workplace? In the community? In the PA profession?
The PA History Society wants to highlight PAs who are “Making History by Making a Difference” on the front page of its Web site and on its Facebook page. E-mail ContactUs@pahx.org with the name and contact information of your nominees.
