In March, NCCPA president, Janet Lathrop, and the three top elected Board officers participated in the second annual Cross-Organizational Meeting. There they met with leaders of the American Academy of PAs (AAPA), the Association of PA Programs (APAP) and the Accreditation Review Commission on the Education of PAs (ARC-PA) and shared information about new initiatives and areas of mutual concern.

"Though the mission and focus of the organizations involved vary, we are all committed to the advancement and elevation of the PA profession," says Lathrop. "These meetings are proving to be an opportunity for an invaluable and critical exchange of information among our four organizations."

The Pathway II, like the PANRE, has 300 multiple-choice questions designed to assess general medical and surgical knowledge. The level of difficulty and cost for the exams are the same. But that’s where the similarities end.

The six-week, take-at-home Pathway II exam is an open-book, written examination - a good alternative for PAs who’d like to avoid the computer-based PANRE exam, who are living abroad when it’s time to recertify or those who practice in a specialty area.

To recertify via the Pathway II exam, PAs must earn 100 points through education and activities to fulfill the elective component requirement and establish eligibility for the take-at-home exam. However, many PAs find that they’ve earned those points over the six-year certification maintenance cycle without even thinking about it.

The elective component (EC) requirement has nine different areas in which to earn the 100 points. The most common area is extra Category I clinical CME hours that you have earned over the six- year certification maintenance cycle. Those "extra" hours must be above and beyond those needed to meet the regular, every-two-years CME requirements.

Another common way to earn points is formal/informal training. Because formal training courses are worth 25 points towards the EC requirement, many PAs who take courses such as PALS and ACLS choose not to log the hours towards their regular CME cycle and apply them to the EC requirement instead.

Also, many PAs precept other professionals in their daily routine. This is a quick way to earn points towards the EC. If you are teaching other health care professionals, you receive 2 points per teaching or precepting hour. Over a six-year period, those points add up quickly.

For more information on the these and other ways to earn points, click here.

NCCPA’s Board of Directors revised the organization’s mission statement and established new goals at a recent strategic planning retreat.

Though the substance of NCCPA’s mission hasn’t changed, the Board adopted a much shorter, simpler mission statement: NCCPA assures that certified physician assistants meet professional standards of knowledge and skills.

The Board also revisited existing strategic goals and set a new course for the next three years, focusing on advancing the credential, educating others about the value of the certified physician assistant and improving the organization itself. The new goals, around which all new NCCPA initiatives will be organized during the next few years, are as follows:

"The Board and staff of NCCPA are energized by these new goals and are excited about the work that lies ahead," says Gary Winchester, MD, NCCPA chairman of the Board. "As work plans unfold to address these goals, we’ll be seeking input and participation from other stakeholders and organizations, and we look forward to those collaborative and cooperative efforts.

"Three years from now, I hope that certified physician assistants will be prouder of their designation and have reason to be more appreciative of the service that NCCPA provides."

NCCPA staff and Board members will be on hand to answer your questions about certification issues in person during the AAPA’s Annual PA Conference in New Orleans, La.

NCCPA’s Information and Resource Center will be located in the PAvillion area of the convention center, near the conference registration area, and will be open during registration hours May 21-27. Several NCCPA staff members will be available during those hours to assist you. Also at NCCPA Connect terminals, PAs will be able to view their personal certification maintenance records and even log the CME earned at the conference.

On Friday, May 23, NCCPA will host its sixth annual Open Forum, where conference attendees can talk with members of NCCPA’s Board of Directors. A continental breakfast will be served at the 7-8 a.m. event in the convention center’s room 338.

Of course, you may always contact NCCPA staff, or write to the chairman of the Board, Dr. Gary Winchester.