Board on Physician Assistants

Continuing Education

Failure to comply with continuing education requirements may result in disciplinary action against the licensee or registrant. The disciplinary action will be reported on the Department of Health license verification web site.

All licensees are required to renew their license every two years. The renewal cycle is set up whereby everyone renews in their birth month. The year they renew depends on whether they were born in an even or odd year. Thus the renewal of their professional license is set up in their birth month every two years.

When renewing, the document that is signed states the licensee has fulfilled all the requirements for renewal. That means no continuing education documentation is to be mailed in with the renewal and that the licensee attests to having obtained the required continuing education. The only time continuing education is to be mailed in is when an official audit is conducted and the licensee is mailed a certified letter from this office requiring submission of the documentation.

All physician assistants must, within a two (2) year period prior to the application for license renewal, complete one hundred (100) hours of continuing medical education satisfactory to the Board. The division of hours between Category I and Category II continuing medical education must be consistent with the requirements of the N.C.C.P.A. as described on the most current A.A.P.A. "Continuing Medical Education Logging Form."

For those certified by the N.C.C.P.A.; the most recent two (2) year period (depending upon the year of initial certification of the applicant by the N.C.C.P.A.) utilized by N.C.C.P.A. to determine whether that person has obtained sufficient continuing medical education hours to maintain his or her professional certification.

For those not certified by the N.C.C.P.A.; the most recent two (2) year period (depending upon the year of birth of the licensee rather than the year of initial certification by the N.C.C.P.A.), which if utilized by the N.C.C.P.A. would determine whether that person would have (had he or she been nationally certified) obtained sufficient continuing medical education hours to maintain his or her professional certification.

All Physician Assistants must retain documentation of completion of all continuing education hours for a period of four (4) years from the end of the renewal period for which it was acquired. This documentation must be produced for inspection and verification if requested by the Committee during its verification process.

Continuing education must be approved in content, structure and format by either the American Medical Association or the AAPA to satisfy the Committee's requirements.

Education hours obtained, as a result of compliance with the terms of any disciplinary action taken by the Committee or the Board of Medical Examiners shall not count toward the hours required for any renewal period.

The Board may waive or otherwise modify the requirements in cases where there is retirement, or an illness, disability or other undue hardship that prevents a licensee from obtaining the requisite number of continuing education hours. Requests for waivers or modification must be sent in writing to the Administrative Office prior to the expiration of the renewal period in which the continuing education is due. *This request must be received by our office, in writing, before January 1st of the year your license will expire.*

All licensees, regardless of whether they possess a DEA registration, must complete at least two hours of continuing medical education related to controlled substance prescribing, which must include instruction in the Department’s treatment guidelines (i.e., Tennessee Chronic Pain Guidelines) on opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and carisoprodol and may include topics such as medicine addiction, risk management tools, and other topics approved by the Committee.