At its July meeting, the AAPA Board of Directors unanimously voted to take the following action: 

“AAPA will take the next steps toward establishing a new certifying organization by gathering more information and developing the necessary documents. “

“The changes to the recertification process proposed by NCCPA would have such a significant detrimental impact on PA practice and patient access to care that the AAPA Board decided it would be prudent to begin the work necessary to establish a new certifying body,” said AAPA President and Board Chair Josanne Pagel, MPAS, PA-C, Karuna®RMT, DFAAPA.  “Of course, we continue to hope that NCCPA will accept our invitation, which was extended after the May HOD meeting and again after our most recent Board meeting, to discuss its recertification exam proposal with us directly, board-to-board.” 

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our CEO, Jenna Dorn (jdorn@aapa.org or 571.319.4301), BOD Chair Josanne Pagel (jpagel@aapa.org) or HOD Speaker David Jackson (djackson@aapa.org).

It is important to understand, and to communicate to PAs who ask, the following information: 

• This Board action is the next step in exploring and gathering information about establishing a new certifying body.  It will be a thorough and thoughtful process.
• This announcement in no way changes the current CME, certification or recertification, process -- PAs should continue to prepare for and comply with NCCPA's requirements.
• More information about why AAPA believes NCCPA's proposed changes will be detrimental to PAs and the profession can be found on the AAPA News Center: http://news-center.aapa.org/

Please feel free to share this information with your delegations.  Due to the transition from one leadership year to the next, we want to be confident all HOD delegates are informed of this Board action.   

Sincerely,                                                         

Josanne K. Pagel, MPAS, PA-C, Karuna^®RMT, DFAAPA
President and Chair, Board of Directors

David I. Jackson, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA
Speaker, House of Delegates