The Time Has Come for Specialty Physician Assistant Certification - Essay Example

It is good for the physicians, the career PAs, and most importantly it is a benefit to the public and the health care patients that seek care from a PA in a specialty environment. PAs are trained and work under the close supervision of a physician and in this arrangement, the physician is dependent upon a qualified assistant. Currently, the National Commission on Certification of Physicians Assistants (NCCPA) is the governing board that is responsible for the quality certification of PAs. In a speech of May 2006 Randy D.

Danielsen, the Chairman of the NCCPA said, "Changes in the larger health care delivery system may be adversely affecting the teaching and mentoring that should be taking place between PAs and their supervising physicians.". The NCCPA Chairman called for specialty certification at that time. When training suffers the working arrangement between the physician and the PA is negatively affected. With specialty standards and a certification process, the physician could be more confident that the PA will have the background necessary to work in tomorrow's health care system.

The PA may have the most to gain from a specialty certification process. A certificate of compliance can be readily recognized as an assurance that the PA is qualified to work in a given specialty. Indeed, many larger organizations have indicated the need for certification other than the NCCPA certification to demonstrate the PA's competence in a specialty or subspecialty. The current certification process may be limiting the career advancement of qualified PAs simply because of a lack of a certification process.

According to the American Academy of Physicians Assistants (AAPA), this could lead to more opportunities for employment, a greater chance of advancement, higher pay, and a more secure position within the specialty ("Flexibility as a Hallmark"). Specialty certification will enhance the career path of the PA within the framework of modern health care. Critics will point out that the certification requirements may limit the flexibility of PAs in the delivery of care. The AAPA has cited as an example that, ".

a PA working in adult cardiology might not be able to moonlight in urgent care." ("Flexibility as a Hallmark"). The Academy is further concerned that the added cost of formal specialty and subspecialty training and certification may be impractical as well as being time-consuming and possibly unavailable. These are valid concerns and it is incumbent upon the NCCPA to address these important issues when structuring a specialty certification program. The ultimate goal of health care is to benefit the patient.