AAPA: NCCPA Awards First Certificates of Added Qualifications

In December, 232 certified PAs became the first to earn Certificates of Added Qualifications (CAQs) by meeting licensure, education and experience requirements and passing a specialty exam. CAQs were awarded in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery (16), emergency medicine (142), nephrology (4), orthopaedic surgery (32), and psychiatry (40), specialties selected after discussions with PA and physician specialty organizations and consideration of needs and trends in health care. Across these five specialty areas, 94 percent of examinees earned the CAQ.