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NCCPA Launches Online CME Logging:
Easier, Faster, Cheaper, Smarter

PAs can now log continuing medical education (CME) credits online at NCCPA Connect, a new system that is easier, faster, cheaper and simply smarter than traditional paper-and-pen logging.

The new password-protected online logging system, launched in October, debuted to rave reviews among PAs who are calling the new service "great" and "fantastic."

Says Lucy S. Judson, PA-C, of Boulder, Colo., one of the first PAs to log CME at NCCPA Connect: "I was delighted to see how easy it is to log hours. And then I got feedback the next day that my hours had been approved and entered. How nice to know where you stand in this whole logging thing almost immediately."

In fact, turnaround time on the processing of CME submissions is averaging two days, versus two weeks for paper submissions.

Other key features and benefits of the online logging system include the following:

Online CME is offered at a discounted rate--$15 off NCCPA’s regular $85 CME logging fee.
PAs who visit the new secure section of the Web site are greeted with a checklist and schedule of things they need to do to maintain certification.
PAs can view CME submitted at NCCPA Connect in full detail at the Web site and can print CME records by cycle, category or date.
Those who log online are encouraged to log CME as they earn it, eliminating the need to keep track of a paper logging form for years at a time.
The online logging system is "open" 24/7 and is accessible from any Internet-ready computer.
Our CME specialists are just an e-mail away, and they’re standing by to answer your questions within a single business day.

The online CME logging system is just the first step in a two-year Web development project. In 2001, online capabilities will expand to include reregistration, exam registration, score reports and more.

Click here to access the online CME logging system.

Step-by-Step Guide for First-Time Online Loggers

Logging CME online at NCCPA Connect is fast and simple.

Point your Web browser to http://www.nccpa.net.
Click the "Sign In" icon.
Click the "First Time User Sign In" link.
Enter your social security number and NCCPA certificate ID number.
When prompted, enter the password of your choice.
Click the "Go to Sign In" button.
Enter your social security number and new password to access your personal home page.
Click the "Log CME" link in your certification maintenance checklist.
Follow the instructions on the screen, and begin logging your CME.

New! Online Access to
Personal Certification Maintenance Checklist

Confused about what steps you need to take next to maintain certification? Wondering if NCCPA has processed your CME logging form? Need to know when you’re supposed to take the recertification exam?

Answers to those questions and more are now just a few mouse clicks away.

PAs can now access a personalized checklist and schedule of the things they need to do to maintain NCCPA certification at NCCPA Connect.

Part of the same password-protected section of the NCCPA Web site that houses the online CME logging system, the checklist includes all of the steps PAs must complete to maintain certification.

Updated continuously, the Web site is now the best source for answers to questions about the status of your certification, whether we’ve processed your exam or reregistration applications, whether your latest fee payment has been received, when forms are due and more.

Click here and follow the instructions on the screen to access your checklist.

Profile of the PA Profession

During the last two years, more than 22,000 PAs responded to NCCPA’s Practice Survey, providing information about the nature of their practice and work environment. The results provide a statistical profile of the PA profession.

Ninety percent of respondents are employed as physician assistants. Among them, 77 percent spend all or the vast majority of their time in clinical practice. Thirty-four percent of respondents are supervised by only one or two physicians, while 23 percent are supervised by six or more.

Not surprisingly, more PAs are working in private partnership or group practices than any other setting, followed by hospital-based out patient, private solo and in-patient hospitals. At the other end of the spectrum, fewer PAs practice in correctional institutions than in any other setting.

When asked to identify which specialty areas occupy at least 20 percent of their time, 25 percent of respondents selected family or general practice (the most frequently selected specialty area), followed by medicine (21 percent), surgery (13 percent) and emergency medicine (13 percent).

Click here to view a graph that illustrates the full array of responses to that question. (You’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

The greatest percentage of PAs—45 percent—spend 41-50 hours in practice or related work each week, while 5 percent work at least 71 hours.

What are they doing during those hours? Respondents report that they spend more time performing lab tests and clinical procedures than anything else, with physical exams and history taking coming in second and third.

NCCPA uses this and other data to ensure that the certification exams continue to accurately reflect the true nature of PA practice.

All PA-C designees are asked to complete NCCPA’s Practice Survey when they reregister or recertify.

Q&A Corner

Q. I’ve already logged some CME for this cycle, but I’d love to finish logging online. Can I do that?

A. Absolutely! If you logged those hours with NCCPA, just pick up right where you left off with your paper form, and start logging online as you earn your CME. If you’ve started logging with AAPA, contact one of our CME specialists at 770.734.4500, and she’ll get your CME record-to-date from AAPA. However, in both cases, the hours that have already been approved will be reflected in summary form online. (In other words, the number of hours and the category of those hours will be there, without the details about each individual program or activity.)

Q. I’m an AAPA member. Do I have to pay the online logging fee if I log CME at NCCPA’s Web site?

A. Yes. Though AAPA includes the cost of logging with them in your annual membership dues, we charge for our services on an a la carte basis. That way, you only pay for the services you use. But if you use them, we have to charge for it. Of course, if you log online, you’ll be paying just $70—a $15 savings from our regular fee.

Q. When logging online, do I have to pay the CME logging fee the first time I enter any hours?

A. No, you can pay the CME logging fee at any time during the logging cycle. Just remember that you won’t receive an updated certificate until you’ve fulfilled all of the certification maintenance requirements— including paying the CME logging fee.

Exam Item Writers Needed

NCCPA is looking for experienced PAs to contribute exam questions (items).

Benefits of becoming a corresponding item writer include the following:

Professional fulfillment associated with helping create the profession’s certification exams.
One point towards the Pathway II Elective Component requirement for every five hours spent in item development.
Compensation ($10) for every accepted item submitted.

For more information, call 770.734.4500, select option "6" from the main menu, and request document #115 when prompted. The information will arrive at your fax machine within minutes.

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