Physician Assistant Certification Exams: PANCE, PANRE, and PANRE-LA
The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) has established the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) and Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exams (PANRE and PANRE-LA) to assess the skills and capabilities of physician assistants, leading to excellence in patient care.
Upon graduating from an accredited Physician Assistant program, PAs must take the PANCE to become certified. Once you are certified, you will enter a 10-year certification maintenance cycle that is divided into five 2-year periods, during which you must maintain certification by earning CME credits online. Within each 2-year cycle, PAs are required to log at least 100 CME credits including at least 50 Category 1 CME credits. The balance of credits can be Category 1, Category 2, or a combination.
Two types of Category 1 CME include Performance Improvement (PI-CME) activities and Self-Assessment (SA) activities. While neither of these CME types are required, the NCCPA recognizes their value and weights these types of CME more heavily.
At the end of this 10-year cycle, PAs must pass the PANRE or PANRE-LA: multiple-choice exams which evaluates general medical and surgical knowledge.
Physician Assistant Certification: Recent Changes
In 2014, NCCPA revamped their certification program for PAs, making several changes based on
- New potential requirements for state licensing of Physician Assistants
- Certification methods of other medical boards
- AAPA and PAEA feedback
- Changes in the health care field and patient needs
Making these changes will allow PAs to maintain relevant knowledge, improve patient care, and be prepared for any changes in the field and in state licensure expectations. It is the goal of NCCPA to promote lifelong learning and excellence in 6 core competencies:
- Medical knowledge
- Interpersonal and communications skills
- Patient care
- Professionalism
- Practice-based learning and improvement
- Systems-based practice
How NEJM Knowledge+ PA Board Review Can Help
Developed with busy clinicians in mind, NEJM Knowledge+ PA Board Review’s adaptive learning program helps PAs meet certification maintenance requirements by providing the ability to receive AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME credits, prepare for board exams, and refresh and retain the broad body of general medical knowledge you learned in your training.
Learn more about our features and benefits.
AAPA Self-Assessment CME Credit
This activity has been reviewed by the AAPA Review Panel and is compliant with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 225 AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation. Approval is valid from 6/1/2023 to 6/1/2024. AAPA reference number: 209296.
For NCCPA certification maintenance ONLY: NCCPA will now apply an additional 50 percent weighting when these self-assessment credits are logged for NCCPA certification maintenance purposes. PAs should log up to a maximum of 225 AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME credits, as the additional weighting will be automatically applied by NCCPA.
Method of Participation: You must answer 10 questions correctly to receive AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME Credits.