#recertify

New Certification Process for PAs 

It's a new year, and whether fortunately, or unfortunately (i'll let you make that opinion yourself), there is a new certification process in 2014 for physician assistants. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) originally instituted the recertification exam for PAs in the 1980s, and this is the first major change since then. The new process includes a switch from a 6 year recertification process to a 10 year certification process. These changes are taking place for three groups of PAs:

People certified for the first time (probably YOU, students reading this blog)

People certified AGAIN after a lapse in certification (have you left practice for a few years due to medical leave of absence? possibly a leave of absence for childcare reasons?)

People who complete a 6-year certification maintenance cycle in 2014

If you don't fit any of these categories, you will transition to the 10 year cycle as you complete the 6-year certification maintenance process already in progress. 

What's the Same?

Still required to earn/log 100 CME credits during every "2-year" CME log cycle

Those 100 CME credits must include 50+ Category 1 credits

PANRE exam still at the end of the process

New Updates

5 CME logging cycles

During first 4 cycles - at least 20 of 50 required Category 1 credits must be earned through performance improvement (PI) CME and/or self-assessment CME

During the 5th cycle - CME activities can be directed in any way to prepare for the PANRE 

Although you can gain a mixture of PI and self-assessment CME in your first 4 cycles - yes, it's true, you can mix and match them, as long as you reach your minimum of 20/50 requirement for each cycle, there is one more catch! 

OVER THE FIRST FOUR CYCLES - YOU MUST HAVE REACHED 40 CREDITS OF PI-CME AND 40 CREDITS OF SELF-ASSESSMENT CME.

So, if you want, you can just plan on doing 20 hours of PI-CME your first two cycles and then next two cycles, make sure you do self-assessment CME to reach this goal! 

Confusing? NCCPA is releasing a web application to track your hours, don't worry!

Self-Assessment vs. Performance Improvement (PI)

So, what's the big deal about all of these big terms no one knows anything about? Self-assessment CME's are designed to determine what you know in knowledge/skill in a particular area AND what you DON'T know, then focus in on those areas where you can improve. Self-assessment begins with an activity to test yourself providing information with results at the end -things your employer, NCCPA, malpractice insurance, nor patients can see - so don't worry! Most are offered online and are self-paced. 

Performance improvement CME's focuses on improving practice and patient outcomes directly. In this manner, you are given the framework to look upon some aspect of your practice, implement a change for improvement, and then identify impacts of that change. You're welcome to work with other PAs and physicians and as long as every PA participates with equal effort, everyone can gain credit for the PI-CME. Some PAs are worried that activities like this may require some forethought. This is NOT an activity you can complete overnight, you procrastinators! 

What can we take away?

We’ve seen in the last few years and months that through collective action, our union is what makes us strong. Now we must become even stronger. It is more important than ever for each MPS building and department to have a strong MTEA presence and an organized team of members working together. If you have not been active before, it is time to get active now.

We start tomorrow, when our union recertification election begins. We may have lost the governor’s election, but we can show Scott Walker that MPS teachers are united in full support of collective bargaining, and we will never stop fighting for what is right. Plan on attending a general membership meeting next Wednesday, to collectively discuss our next steps.

The MTEA recertification election begins tomorrow, Nov 5th at noon and ends November 25th at noon.

We need to vote YES to recertify our union in order to preserve our legally guaranteed right to collectively bargain over wages. Each and every one of us – members and non-members – needs to VOTE YES to make sure we protect this right. 

Make sure you talk to every one of your colleagues and encourage them to vote (even if they are not a member). See online links and vote phone in details below.

Online voting:

Can be done here.

Phone voting: 

Call 1-866-458-9862. Use the first four letters of your last name, and the last four numbers of your social security number to confirm your identity. When prompted, vote yes to recertify the MTEA. Then stay on the line until you receive a thank you message and the call is ended.

Please take time to watch the video of the amazing work our union has done in the past year through collective action. We must never forget that the future of quality public education in Wisconsin is dependent on our ability to collectively organize. When we organize, we win!