PA Cert Exam Eligibility

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA TO CHALLENGE THE

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (PA) ENTRY TO PRACTICE CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION (PA CERT EXAM)

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

All candidates must meet all of the following requirements:

• Properly complete and sign the PA Cert Exam registration form by the established deadline;
• Be a member of the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA); and
• Meet the competency and/or experience as laid out in the eligibility criteria listed below.

COMPETENCY AND/OR EXPERIENCE

To establish eligibility to challenge the PA Cert Exam all applicants must meet one or more of the following:

• Graduate of the Canadian Forces Medical Services School (CFMSS) PA Program prior to 2004 (This eligibility will remain valid until and including the 2014 exam. Requires validation of successful completion from the CFMSS PA Program. Proof of clinical practice within 5 years of the examination date supported by the supervising physician indicating the applicant has been in clinical practice.)
• Graduate of a Canadian Medical Association (CMA) accredited PA program (Requires validation of successful completion of a CMA accredited PA program.) and/or
• Graduate of an Accreditation Review Commission (ARC) program and certified by the National Commission of Certification for Physician Assistant (NCCPA) (Requires validation of successful completion of an ARC accredited US PA program and proof of current NCCPA membership. NCCPA member number must be included on the registration form.)

Even if you have earned a medical degree, you must still graduate from a CMA accredited PA program or ARC-PA accredited program to take the PACCC PA Cert Exam.

Trainees of a CMA accredited program may be eligible to sit the PA Cert Exam in the last two months of their training program pending confirmation of completion of core competencies by the program. Failure to successfully complete the training program renders the PA Cert Exam result invalid.

The Physician Assistant Certification Council of Canada (PACCC) Certification Manager approves all applications for eligibility to sit the PA Cert Exam. If there is insufficient documentation to substantiate the certification requirements the application will be refused. All applications will be reviewed 30 days before the exam date. In the event of a refusal, a candidate can dispute the decision in writing within 2 weeks before the exam date. All written disputes will be referred to the PACCC Chair for immediate review and consideration.