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Summer 2004
Volume 5, Number 2
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(You will need Adobe Acrobat to open some of the documents referenced in this newsletter.)
Contents:
- NCCPA Takes Action Against PANCE Cheaters
- NCCPA Welcomed at AAPA Conference
- NCCPA Publishes 2005 Exam Schedule
- Hours vs. Points to Maintain PA-C
- Certification Deadlines Streamlined in 2006
- Q&A Corner
- Short Takes
- Dates and Deadlines
NCCPA Takes Action Against PANCE Cheaters
At its May meeting, NCCPA’s Review Panel and Executive
Committee levied thousands of dollars in fines and imposed other
penalties against graduates of one PA program who were found
guilty of cheating on PANCE.
One graduate circulated a list of more than 80 items from her
exam to several classmates by e-mail. Others compiled a list of
several dozen PANCE items during a post-exam celebration, and
that list was also e-mailed to many members of that school’s
2003 graduating class.
Those directly involved were punished with fines as high as
$10,000 and disciplinary action as severe as revocation of
certification and temporary loss of eligibility for PANCE.
However, the consequences of their actions reach far beyond that
relatively small circle of former classmates. As a result of
their potential exposure to those PANCE questions, 16 other
students are being required to take and pass PANCE again or lose
certification. Recognizing that those students may be guilty of
nothing more than having the bad luck to be on the receiving end
of unsolicited illicit material, NCCPA waived their exam fees.
“Memorizing and sharing questions from the PANCE is cheating,
plain and simple,” said Marshall Sinback Jr., PA-C, chairman of
NCCPA’s Review Panel. “No one likes to see this kind of thing
going on in the PA profession. It’s a blight that has to be
dealt with quickly and decisively. Cheaters will be punished,
and exam results that are called into question will be
invalidated.”
The cheating came to light when one of the graduates posted the
lists of questions on the university’s listserv, calling it to
the attention of the PA program director who immediately
reported the incident to NCCPA. As the investigation unfolded,
it became apparent that there were several students involved. In
fact, students at another program have been implicated, and that
phase of the investigation is still unfolding.
“PAs and PA students around the country need to understand that
cheating will not be tolerated. That kind of behavior threatens
to diminish the integrity of the certification credential and
those who have worked long and hard – and honestly – to earn
it,” said Janet J. Lathrop, NCCPA president. “This kind of
offense will always be treated with grave seriousness.”
In addition to the potential blight on the exam’s integrity,
these incidents have cost NCCPA many tens of thousands of
dollars. In light of this, NCCPA is conferring with other
professional certifying bodies and legal counsel regarding the
institution of additional preventative measures and even more
stringent legal action against those who cheat in the future.
NCCPA Welcomed at AAPA Conference
NCCPA management and Board members received a warm welcome at
AAPA’s 32nd Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV,
June 1-6, 2004.
From NCCPA’s Information & Resource Center, staff members were
able to conduct all NCCPA processes from accepting payments to
helping PAs log CME or apply for exams online.
Each morning, NCCPA Board members fielded questions and were
available to meet with PAs.
“We’re very pleased with the reception and traffic that our
center had at the conference,” said Bill Kohlhepp, MHA, PA-C,
NCCPA Board member. “The conference is a great opportunity for
us to do face-to-face business with PAs as well as answer their
questions and listen to their concerns.”
In Las Vegas, PAs took advantage of eight computer terminals to
log CME hours earned at the conference. In addition, PAs were
able to update their contact information, set-up new passwords,
apply for exams and make payments online at
NCCPA Connect .
“The biggest advantage of attending the conference is that we’re
able to teach PAs one-on-one how to use our many online
services, which then allows them faster and more efficient
access to certification services and provides them near
instantaneous access to their specific upcoming requirements,”
said Janet J. Lathrop, NCCPA president.
In other conference news, Ms. Lathrop presented an $18,000 check
to fund a research program entitled, “An Analysis of
Psychosocial Issues in Primary Care PA Practice.” Carla Kilgore,
LCSW, and Dana Sayre-Stanhope, PhD, PA-C, are the principal
investigators on that project. The grant was awarded through a
joint grants program operated by NCCPA and the Association of
Physician Assistant Programs.
NCCPA Publishes 2005 Exam Schedule
PANCE PANRE Pathway II
January 3-March 11
February 1-March 31
March 6-April 29
April 1-July 27
September 1-October 31
August 17-September 30
July 5-October 7
September 14-December 31
Registration for the 2005 administrations will be available online on September 1, 2004.
Hours vs. Points to Maintain the PA-C
At the AAPA conference in May, NCCPA staff members fielded a
number of questions about CME hours and elective component
points -- most notably what types of activities qualify and who
needs to submit these requirements. Here’s a snapshot of the
differences between the two.
CME
What: Clinical and professional education activities that
serve to maintain, develop or increase the knowledge, skills,
and professional performance and relationships that a PA uses to
provide services for patients, the public and the profession.
Who: All PA-Cs who want to maintain their certification
must log at least the 100 required CME hours every two years.
When: For any given two-year certification maintenance
cycle, CME hours can be earned May 1 of the beginning cycle year
through June 30 of the certificate expiration year (i.e., May 1,
2004 through June 30, 2006). CME hours can be logged online as
they are earned during the two-year cycle.
Elective Component Points
What: Specific clinical and skill-building activities in
nine pre-defined categories. The most common activities
submitted for elective component points are extra (over and
above the 100 required for certification maintenance) clinical,
Category I CME hours; formal and informal skills training; and
medical teaching. For more information on the nine components,
visit NCCPA Connect at www.nccpa.net.
Who: Recertifying PAs who want to take
the take-at-home Pathway II exam.
When: Elective component points can be earned anytime in
the six years prior to the Pathway II exam application deadline.
Certification Deadlines Streamlined in 2006
The current CME submission policy, which still applies for
PAs logging CME in the 2002-2004 and 2003-2005 cycles, requires
CME hours to be earned by June 30 and hours and payments to be
submitted by September 30 of the certificate expiration year.
Since its inception, the staggered deadline approach has caused
some confusion about exactly when requirements must be
submitted. To ease that confusion, NCCPA has established
concurrent CME earning and logging windows beginning with the
2004-2006 cycle, which opened – for PAs who had already
completed the 2002-2004 requirements – on May 1.
Under the new policy, PAs will have to earn and log their 100
required CME hours and pay the CME logging fee by June 30 of the
certificate expiration year.
The current approach was instituted to compensate for the time
required to process thousands of paper CME logging forms and to
create flexibility in the logging process. With the advent of
online logging, NCCPA began to improve the longer processing
times that had made the staggered deadline policy necessary.
Online logging continues to grow rapidly with 241 percent more
online submissions from January to May of 2004 compared to the
same time last year. During the same period, paper logging
submissions have dropped by 37 percent from last year.
“The increased use of our online logging services has provided
us the capability to process an increasing number of submissions
while dramatically reducing our overall processing time – with
more than 95 percent of online submissions being approved in 24
hours,” said Janet J. Lathrop, NCCPA president. “Further, the
flexibility that we’d hoped to generate by staggering the
deadlines was marred for some PAs by confusion about exactly
when different requirements had to be submitted.”
PAs will still be allowed to earn and log hours after the June
30 deadline until their certificate expires on December 31. Late
hours or payments, however, will be subject to a $100 late fee.
Tips for Navigating the CME Logging Process
1. Know the requirements.
2. Log online as you earn your hours for fastest approval.
3. Keep all documentation for your Category I CME hours in case
you are audited.
4. Pay the correct logging fee - $80 for online logging or $95
for the paper form.
Back to top
Q&A Corner
Q. When I attend a conference, do I have to individually log
each CME session?
A. No! When you attend a conference, such as the AAPA Annual
Conference, you can log all of your Category I or Category II
hours as one line item. We don’t require the individual details
of each activity. After you have logged your hours, you still
need to keep documentation for all of your Category I CME hours
– just in case you are audited. If you are randomly selected for
an audit, you’ll have to send documentation for your Category I
activities. Most PAs send their certificates of completion,
although other forms of documentation are also acceptable.
Short Takes
- This summer all certified PAs with a valid e-mail address will receive an invitation to complete NCCPA’s Practice Analysis Survey. This survey is used to validate and update the content blueprint for NCCPA’s certification exams. It’s your chance to tell us the knowledge, skills and abilities you use daily. If you haven’t done so, please take advantage of this opportunity to influence the certification exams.
- Don’t forget! NCCPA moved in December
2003. Please note our updated information as you navigate
the second-half of the year’s certification deadlines.
12000 Findley Road, Suite 200
Duluth, GA 30097
Phone: 678.417.8100
Fax: 678.417.8135
There’s also a wealth of information and services you can access online at NCCPA Connect. - The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant is seeking a public member for its Board of Directors. ARC-PA is the recognized accrediting agency that protects the interests of the public and the PA profession by defining standards for PA education and evaluating PA educational programs to ensure compliance with those standards. For more information, please visit ARC-PA.
Dates and Deadlines
Click here for a current listing of dates and deadlines.
webmaster • (678) 417-8100
12000 Findley Road Suite 200 • Duluth, GA 30097-1409
