Specialty Certificates of Added Qualifications (CAQs)

Congratulations to the certified PAs who have earned Certificates of Added Qualifications (CAQs) from the NCCPA!

Achieve recognition for your specialty experience, skills and knowledge through NCCPA’s new certificate of added qualifications (CAQ) program! Believing passionately that certified PAs are critical to the delivery of high quality, accessible, affordable health care, through this program NCCPA is offering the credentials you need to effectively document your specialty experience and expertise.

Want to learn more about Specialty CAQs such as eligibility requirements and how they can help you? Watch the following video.

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To qualify for a specialty CAQ, PAs must first satisfy two basic pre-requisites: (1) current PA-C certification and (2) possession of a valid, unrestricted license to practice as a PA in at least one jurisdiction in the United States or its territories, or unrestricted privileges to practice as a PA for a government agency. (Note: If a PA holds licenses in multiple states, all of the licenses must be unrestricted.)

For PAs meeting those basic prerequisites, the CAQ process includes four core requirements: (1) Category I specialty CME, (2) one to two years of experience, (3) procedures and patient case experience appropriate for the specialty, and (4) a specialty exam.

The first three core requirements may be completed in any order. Once those are complete, PAs are eligible for the exam.

The cost of this program is just $350, including a $100 administrative fee and a $250 exam registration fee.

The exam date for all CAQ exams (**except for the new Pediatrics and Hospital Medicine CAQs) is Sept. 9, 2013. Schedule your CAQ exam early to improve the likelihood of a convenient testing location. 

The final deadline for submitting the exam application is September 5, 2013.

**The new Pediatrics and Hospital Medicine CAQ exams will be offered in September 2014 and the exam application will be available on February 1, 2014.

Once awarded, a CAQ will be valid for a period of ten years (provided that licensure status and PA-C certification are maintained).

For more details, select a CAQ program from the list on the left, and read more there.

Before registering for a Specialty CAQ, you'll want to become familiar with all of the CAQ policies and procedures.