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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Pennsylvania Licensure Requirements

    Bachelor’s Degree & Graduate from approved PA Program 

    1 Examination

    No Experience Requirement

    3 Hours of Continuing Education
     

    $30.00 Initial Fee

    $40.00 Renewal Fee

    A person trained to perform, under the supervision of a physician, many clinical procedures traditionally performed by a physician, such as diagnosing and treating minor ailments.

    Degree Requirement:  

    Bachelor’s Degree & Graduate from approved PA Program
    An applicant must have obtained a minimum of a Baccalaureate/Bachelor’s Degree and graduate from a Physician Assistant program recognized by the State Board.  The Board recognizes physician assistant education programs accredited by the American Medical Association's Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation (CAHEA), the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) or a successor organization.

    Examination Requirement: 

    1 Examination
    The applicant must receive a passing grade on the  Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) provided by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

    Experience: 

    No Experience Requirement No experience requirement for licensure.

    Continuing Education: 

    3 Hours (for initial licensure) 

    Applicants must complete 3 hours of Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting for initial licensure. 

     

    100 Hours (when renewing license)

    To be eligible for renewal of a physician assistant license, the physician assistant shall complete continuing medical education as required by the NCCPA and maintain National certification by completing current recertification mechanisms available to the profession, identified on the NCCPA's website as recognized by the Board. Biennial Renewal Cycle. 

    4 Hours of CE in Pain Management / Practices of Prescribing or Dispensing of Opiods

    Section 9.1(a) of ABC-MAP* requires that all prescribers or dispensers, as defined in Section 3 of ABC-MAP, applying for licensure/approval complete at least 4 hours of Board-approved education consisting of 2 hours in pain management or the identification of addiction and 2 hours in the practices of prescribing or dispensing of opioids. Applicants seeking licensure/approval on or after July 1, 2017, must document, within one year from issuance of the licensure/ approval, that they completed this education either as part of an initial education program, a stand-alone course from a Board-approved course provider, or a continuing education course from an approved continuing education provider. 

    The 4 hours of Board-approved education needs to be completed only once. See the Board’s website for the Opioid Education Forms and additional information.

    Initial Licensing Fee: 

    $30.00

    Licensure Renewal Fee: 

    $40.00
    Biennial renewal of license.

    Licensure by Act 41:

    Act 41 allows for portability of out-of-state professional licensees coming to work in Pennsylvania. Act 41 does this by granting all boards and commissions within the Commonwealth the authority to endorse licensees from other states, territories or jurisdictions (with substantially equivalent licensing requirements) who are active, in good standing and without discipline against their license or criminal conviction.