NCCPA Certification Maintenance: Requirements
In 2014, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) introduced a new certification maintenance process for PA certification. Those who took the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) prior to 2014 will continue with the current requirements and will then transition to the new certification maintenance process after their first Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam (PANRE).
The table below outlines the changes in certification maintenance requirements:
| Requirements for PAs who passed PANCE or ended their 6-year certification maintenance cycle on or before December 31, 2013: | Requirements for PAs who pass PANCE, regain certification, or wrap up a 6-year certification maintenance cycle in 2014 and after:* |
| Pass PANCE, and then enter a 6-year cycle, which is divided into three 2-year periods | Pass PANCE, and then enter a 10-year cycle, which is divided into five 2-year periods |
| Earn and log a minimum of 100 CME credits during every 2-year period | Earn and log a minimum of 100 CME credits during every 2-year period, and submit certification maintenance fee every 2 years (see below for credit requirements) |
| Submit a certification maintenance fee to NCCPA by December 31 of the 6th year | Submit a certification maintenance fee to NCCPA by December 31 of the 10th year |
| During the 5th period of the certification cycle (years 9 and 10) earn 100 CME credits, with at least 50 in Category 1 | |
| Pass PANRE before the end of the 6th year | Pass PANRE before the end of the 10th year |
| Enter 10-year recertification cycle | Re-enter 10-year recertification cycle |
*PAs who pass PANRE a year early in 2013 (year 5) but whose 6th year is 2014 will transition to the 10-year cycle once their certification is updated in 2014 and would be due to pass PANRE again in 2024.
PA Certification Maintenance CME requirements
CME consists of educational activities that enable PAs to further develop their knowledge and skills. Here are a few things to note about the new CME requirements for PA certification maintenance:
- At least 50 of the 100 biannual CME credits required must be Category 1. The other 50 credits can be Category 1, Category 2, or a combination of both.
- NCCPA has 2 categories of CME that are not required but are weighted heavily by the NCCPA: self-assessment and performance improvement (PI-CME).
With NEJM Knowledge+ Family Medicine Board Review, you can earn your required Self-Assessment and AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ — learn more!
Accreditation Statement
The Massachusetts Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Medical Association has an agreement of mutual recognition of Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits with the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), the accreditation body for European countries. Physicians interested in converting AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ to UEMS-European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education CME credits (ECMECs) should contact the UEMS at mutualrecognition@uems.eu.
AMA Credit Designation Statement
The Massachusetts Medical Society designates each enduring material for the number of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ listed below. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
NEJM Knowledge+ Family Medicine Board Review: 349 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
AAFP Prescribed Credit
The AAFP has reviewed NEJM Knowledge+ Family Medicine Board Review and deemed it acceptable for up to 349.00 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credits. Term of Approval is from 02/01/2023 to 12/31/2023. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
AAPA CME Credit (NEJM Knowledge+ Family Medicine Board Review)
This activity has been reviewed by the AAPA Review Panel and is compliant with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 20 AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation. Approval is valid from 5/1/2023 to 4/30/2024. AAPA reference number: CME-209251.
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 20 AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME credits, as the additional weighting will be automatically applied by NCCPA.