NCCPA’s Web traffic continues to surge as more PAs take advantage of the efficient, around-the-clock service available at NCCPA Connect.

In the month of August alone, 50,000 visitors entered NCCPA Connect—up 17 percent from last August—and generated over four million hits.

"We are very excited that PAs and other stakeholders are turning to our Web site as a resource for information about NCCPA certification and as a place to register for exams, log CME hours, confirm certification status and more," said Janet Lathrop, NCCPA’s president. "The Web site is our most comprehensive source of information for PAs, and as our Web traffic continues to grow, we are continually working to improve the experience our online visitors have at NCCPA Connect."

As NCCPA’s Web site continues to garner more attention and traffic, older technologies are lagging behind, most notably NCCPA’s fax-on-demand service, which will be eliminated in October due to underuse.

"The system’s usage simply doesn’t justify the continued time and expense to maintain and update the service, especially when the same information and more is available on the Web," said Tim Perry, NCCPA’s director of information services.

NCCPA will still have fax capabilities if you prefer to receive information that way. To request a document be sent by fax, contact one of our staff members at 770.734.4500.

Click here for  the latest information about NCCPA certification.

An e-mail reminder will be coming soon to an inbox near you.

PAs responding to a recent NCCPA poll were asked for input on some initiatives designed to help them meet their certification maintenance deadlines.

Ninety-eight percent of the approximately 200 respondents indicated that more broadcast e-mail reminders of key deadlines and requirements would be helpful.

PAs also expressed support for some planned modifications to the NCCPA Connect homepage and other communications initiatives.

"NCCPA is always looking for ways to assist the PAs we certify," said Janet Lathrop, NCCPA’s president. "The results of this survey let us know what you want, and we want to make it happen."

Survey respondents were primarily interested in receiving reminders about CME and recertification deadlines.

These broadcast e-mail reminders will be provided to those for whom NCCPA has a valid e-mail address in addition to the current schedule of mailed NCCPA correspondence.

To ensure that you receive NCCPA’s broadcast reminders, you can verify or change your
e-mail address by signing in to your personal certification record and selecting Update Personal Information.

The Web-based survey was e-mailed to 1,000 randomly selected certified PAs.

To ensure the continued relevance and value of the certification credential, NCCPA will conduct a practice or job analysis of the PA profession starting this fall.

The practice analysis, conducted every five to seven years, assists NCCPA in ascertaining the most current set of knowledge, skills and abilities needed by PAs, which in turn drives the content of NCCPA’s certification exams.

"The practice analysis is the most important procedure we use for supporting and updating the content of our exams," said Brian Hess, PhD, NCCPA’s manager of research and test development. "By reviewing the current state of the PA profession, we identify changes in the scope and nature of PA practice that should be reflected on our exams."

For example, NCCPA conducted its last practice analysis in 1998 and, as a result, added a section on infectious diseases to the content of the certification exams.

"The evolving medical field is continually energized with new findings and techniques that PAs use in their day-to-day practices. Incorporating those changes into our certification exams allows us to ensure physicians, employers and the general public that certified physician assistants are well-informed and capable healthcare providers," said Gary Winchester, MD, NCCPA chairman of the Board.

The practice analysis will be conducted over 10 months and will entail focus groups and extensive survey research. A panel of expert PAs from approximately 15 different practice and geographic areas will participate in focus groups while a larger sample of PAs will receive a mailed survey questionnaire about their profession, daily activities and responsibilities.

After all of the data are collected and analyses completed, any necessary changes will be made to NCCPA’s content blueprint for the exams offered as early as 2005.

PAs interested in participating in the focus groups must be currently certified and have recertified at least once. You can download the Application for NCCPA Practice Analysis Focus Group Participation. The application should be completed and returned via fax to NCCPA no later than Oct. 15.

Watch future issues of NCCPA News for more information about survey participation as well as the final results of the practice analysis.

A. NCCPA won’t receive hours logged with AAPA until your CME hours are complete. If you believe your CME hours are complete, please check with AAPA.

A. The CME Summary Report screen is already set-up for you to log your hours for your 2003-2005 cycle, which started on May 1, 2003. If you want to review your personal certification record to ensure that you have met all the requirements, sign in to your personal certification record and click on My Record, which includes your personal certification maintenance checklist. To review just your CME submissions for the 2001-2003 cycle, click on CME Transcript.

A. No. CME earned in one cycle can only be logged in that same cycle. The CME earning window is from May 1 – June 30 every two years. However, CME earned in excess of the required 100 hours can be submitted for elective component points if you are interested in taking the Pathway II recertification exam.

A. You can check your certification status 24 hours a day. Click on the "Sign In" button and enter your certificate or social security number and your password. Once you are signed in, you will be able to view your personal certification maintenance checklist. Your checklist shows you what you need to do to maintain your certification and provides the deadline by which each step must be completed.