The PA-C Emeritus® designation was established in 2016 to honor PAs who have demonstrated longstanding commitment to the professionalism and standards required of Certified PAs but who are no longer clinically practicing and do not have the need to be certified any longer.
Eligibility Requirements for the PA-C Emeritus Designation
Applicants will be awarded the PA-C Emeritus designation if they meet the following requirements:
- Are retired from clinical practice;
- Have been certified by NCCPA at least 20 cumulative years during their PA career or have retired from practice due to permanent disability and have qualified for federal Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and/or disability retirement or long-term disability benefits*; and
- Have no reportable actions in their NCCPA disciplinary history and no NCCPA disciplinary matter in any stage of review.
*Acceptable documentation is a statement, record or letter on official letterhead from one of the following: a treating physician/medical professional, a federal government agency which issues or provides disability benefits or a state vocational rehabilitation agency.
There is a one-time $50 application fee. Proceeds from the PA-C Emeritus program will benefit the PA Foundation scholarship program, expanding the NCCPA Endowed Scholarship that awards multiple scholarships each year with the ultimate aim of reducing health disparities.
Applications are accepted only from PAs who are currently certified, and the Emeritus designation will be awarded in conjunction with certification expiration.
Maintenance Requirements for the PA-C Emeritus Designation
Like NCCPA certification, the PA-C Emeritus designation shall be maintained on two-year, calendar year cycles. There is no renewal fee.
Maintenance requires completion of a reapplication process, which will include attestation that the PA continues to meet the requirements established for initial eligibility. The PA-C Emeritus designation shall be suspended if the PA regains certification, and may be restored upon expiration of the regained certification if the PA establishes that he or she continues to meet the requirements established for initial eligibility.
The PA-C Emeritus designation may be verified by any third party by going to “Verify PA Certification” under “Resources” in the toolbar at the top of this page.
Limitations on Use of the PA-C Emeritus Designation
The PA-C Emeritus designation is not the equivalent of PA-C certification. Those designated as PA-C Emeritus are not considered certified by NCCPA and may not hold themselves out as such.
The PA-C Emeritus designation may not be used in any clinical setting or in the context of any clinically-related interaction, including clinical volunteer service. This does not mean the PA-C Emeritus designees may not engage in clinical volunteer service. They simply may not identify themselves as a PA-C Emeritus in that setting. Doing so – or committing any other act that would trigger NCCPA disciplinary review for certified PAs — will result in review in accordance with NCCPA’s Policies and Procedures for PA Disciplinary Matters.
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