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Spring 2002
Volume 3, Number 2
(Not receiving this news via e-mail? Let us know if you'd like to help save a tree and reduce postage costs by receiving notification via e-mail when we post the new issue--instead of receiving the newsletter via postal mail. Just send an e-mail to karenm@nccpa.net, including your name and certificate number or social security number.)
Contents:
- PA Directors at Large Elected
- AAPA Returns as an NCCPA Participating Organization
- From One PA to Another: A Message from the President
- Serving You Better
- Info By Phone Easier Than Ever
- Q&A Corner
- Short Takes
- Dates and Deadlines
PA Directors at Large Elected
At its March 10 meeting, the NCCPA board of directors elected three new PA directors at large to serve on the board.
The three vacant positions were filled by Ruth Ballweg, PA-C; Randy, D. Danielsen, MPAS, PA-C and Edwin C. Lopez, PA-C. The fourth PA director-at-large position is filled by Disty Pearson, PA-C, elected last August.
The board created the four PA director-at- large positions last year to increase the participation of certified PAs. All nominees were required to get the endorsement of at least 10 certified PAs.
Says NCCPA President Katherine J. Adamson, PA-C, MMS, MA, "I am very excited about the PAs who have been selected to fill the positions. We had many qualified candidates, and it was a difficult decision, but these new members of the board will bring expertise as PAs and valuable insight to our decision making."
Ballweg, of Seattle, Wash., is the director of the PA program at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. Danielsen is an associate professor and chair of the Department of PA Studies at the Arizona School of Health Sciences. A resident of Mesa, Ariz., he also works at three medical clinics. Lopez, of Puyallup, Wash., is the president and owner of La Palma Medical & Surgical Associates and on staff at Franciscan Health Services. Pearson, of Bedford, Mass., specializes in cardiology at the Children’s Hospital of Boston and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is also a faculty member at the Northeastern University PA program.
Among them they have more than 75 years in clinical practice and 48 years of experience in the education of PA students.
The addition of these positions and the reinstatement of AAPA appointees (see next article), brings the number of PAs on the board up to 12. The board also includes eight physicians, three public representatives, a hospital administrator and one appointee from the American Association of Medical Colleges.
AAPA Returns as an NCCPA Participating Organization
AAPA has accepted an invitation to return to the NCCPA as a participating organization and appoint members to the NCCPA board of directors.
"AAPA’s return marks a significant positive turning point in the relationship between the two organizations and our continuing joint efforts to improve the certification process and advance the PA profession," said NCCPA President Katherine J. Adamson, PA-C, MMS, MA. "Our board members voted unanimously to invite AAPA to return, and we are looking forward to continuing to work together on issues that matter to PAs, the physicians with whom we work, and the patients we treat."
"We’re pleased that AAPA members will be represented once again on the NCCPA board of directors," said Ed Friedmann, PA-C, AAPA president. "With the renewed commitment of both organizations to work together to resolve differences collegially, we are confident that recent events will continue to strengthen our relationship and our certification system for the good of the profession and the public. Together we can ensure the communication and united efforts necessary for a certification process that works for the public and the profession."
NCCPA’s board of directors voted at its March 10 meeting to extend the invitation to AAPA. The AAPA board voted to accept the invitation in a March 17 conference call.
These most recent developments come after several months of discussions and meetings between leaders of the two organizations designed to establish better communications channels between the two organizations and rebuild the relationship. Representatives from both organizations agree that they have found common ground, identified mutual interests and concerns, and appreciate the need to respect each other’s independence while strengthening open lines of communication. All agree that previously divisive issues are being addressed, and the focus should be on the future.
The Academy plans to have its two appointees selected in time to participate in the next meeting of the NCCPA board, which will be held this May in conjunction with the AAPA Annual Conference in Boston.
From One PA to Another:
A Message from the President
Katherine J. Adamson, PA-C, MMS, MA
If you’ve already read the rest of this newsletter, you know that AAPA is once again an NCCPA participating organization, our board now includes four PA directors at large and NCCPA has implemented several new measures to improve its service for PAs. Spring has arrived, and we’re on the road to the landmark year I promised in the last issue.
But we’d like to hear how you think we’re doing.
For PAs attending AAPA’s Annual Conference in Boston at the end of May, there will be several opportunities to seek information from and provide input to members of NCCPA’s board and staff. At the NCCPA Information & Resource Center, conference attendees will be able to talk to staff about their personal certification record, seek clarification on certification policies, and use our computers to log CME, view the new-and-improved Web site or see a demonstration of computer-based testing.
Then on Monday, May 27, I and other members of the board will be available to talk with attendees during the Fifth Annual NCCPA Open Forum. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to meet with you and hear from you face to face.
Finally, that same afternoon, I’ll be giving a presentation entitled, NCCPA Certification & Recertification Update. That will be a good opportunity to get an overview of recent changes to the certification process and policies.
If you won’t be in Boston, please give us some feedback or seek the information you need in some other way. You may e-mail me, or contact staff. We’d love to hear from you.
Serving You Better
In addition to our new interactive telephone system, installed in late March (see next article), NCCPA has implemented several other changes in our continuing efforts to improve customer service.
Instead of two testing windows for PANCE, we now have three extended testing windows. The available testing time has been increased from 9 weeks to 34 weeks.
The deadline and late fee schedule for CME logging and reregistration has been streamlined. This year, those items can be submitted until Sept. 30 without penalty. The single late fee for CME hours, reregistration applications or payments submitted Oct. 1-Dec. 31 is $50.
Streamlining and perfecting data entry methods have also been paramount. A quality assurance position was established in 2000, and the function recently expanded to include a second quality assurance administrator.
Says Janet Lathrop, NCCPA’s executive director, "We know that the work we do here can affect PAs’ ability to find or keep a job. We appreciate the gravity of mistakes and the importance of doing things right the first time."
In addition to guarding against data entry errors, the two-person quality assurance department monitors the information provided to PAs via the telephone and works to ensure that service is delivered in a timely, effective manner.
Continues Lathrop, "NCCPA is continually striving to make the certification process efficient and positive for PAs. Perfection may be impossible to achieve, but it’s our goal."
Info By Phone Easier Than Ever
NCCPA recently installed a new interactive telephone system that should make it easier than ever before for PAs to get information about their certification record over the telephone.
After entering their social security number and birth year, PAs may access information about the status of applications, CME hours, payments and more. That information is available any time, day or night.
"We’ve been listening to your concerns about how difficult it can be to reach us by phone for the information you need. Rather than hire an army of customer service agents, we created a self-serve menu," says Executive Director Janet Lathrop. "The new phone system never goes on vacation or gets tied up with another caller. Think of it as your personal 24-hour certification concierge."
Lathrop says her first priority as executive director is improving customer service.
During business hours (8:30-5:00 Eastern), callers who have questions that can’t be answered by the automated system will be able to speak to a staff member. If staff members are busy with other callers, the system will tell you how many others are in line ahead of you, and you’ll have the option to wait for help or leave a message. All messages received before 4:30 p.m. are returned the same day.
When You Call…Call 770.734.4500, and then press "1" to access the menu for PAs. Follow the voice prompts to sign in to the database. Then, you’ll hear the menu below. (Keep this handy to save time next time you call.)
• For your certificate number or to check on the status of your certification, press 1.
• To check on the status of an application you’ve submitted (for PANCE, PANRE, Pathway II, Surgery or reregistration) or for information about scheduling permits, press 2.
• For information on exam results, press 3.
• For CME information (including information about the status of your logging record, information about deadlines and fees or a general description of CME requirements), press 4.
• To verify that we received your payment, to make a payment by phone using a Visa or MasterCard or to request a payment receipt, press 5.
• To receive applications or forms by fax, press 6.
• To receive applications or forms by mail, press 7.
• For information about reporting address or name changes, press 8.
• To request the release of scores, a letter verifying your certification status or a letter confirming your eligibility for an exam, press 9.
Q&A Corner
Q. I’m currently deployed overseas. How do I update my address online?
A. Go to NCCPA Connect and sign in. If you have an APO military address, please list the USA as the country of destination, rather than the country in which you are deployed.
Q. Is there a fee for releasing my scores or a letter verifying my eligibility for an exam, certification status or payment?
A. No. This service is provided at no charge to you. There are a couple of ways to request the items above. Call 770.734.4500, press option 1 then follow the prompts. Or you can e-mail your request to Sue Frankforther.
Short Takes
- Attending AAPA’s May conference in Boston? Look for our booth in the registration area at the convention center, May 25-30. We will also have an open forum for discussion with board members in room 311 on May 27 from 7:00-8:00 a.m.
- At the risk of stating the obvious, to ensure your NCCPA certification remains current always advise us of a change of address. And if you log CME with AAPA, check with us to verify you have met all requirements.
- We now have our computer-based practice exam available on our Web site. Click on the "Exams" button at our homepage (www.nccpa.net). Choose the exam you’re taking. Click on "NCCPA Practice Exam".
Dates and Deadlines
Click here for a current listing of dates and deadlines.
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