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Physician Assistants

Special Requirements

Physician assistants in Virginia must be licensed.

Educational Requirements:
1. Successful completion of a physician assistant program or surgeon assistant program accredited by the American Medical Association or a committee of the American Medical Association established to approve or accredit allied health education programs;
2. Passage of the certifying examination administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants; and
3. Documentation that the applicant for licensure has not had his license or certification as a physician assistant suspended or revoked and is not the subject of any disciplinary proceedings in another jurisdiction.
B. Prior to working with a supervising physician, the physician assistant shall notify the Board and provide information which shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. The name, address, telephone number and any changes thereto, of the physician or physicians who will supervise the assistant in the relevant practice setting; and
2. A description of the practice and the way in which the physician assistant will be utilized.
The Board shall issue the license to the physician assistant to practice under the supervision of a licensed doctor of medicine, osteopathy, or podiatry.

License Renewal:
Your license must be renewed biennially during your birth month in each odd - numbered year. The fee is $135. 00. Licenses are updated upon receipt of fees. A current license is printed, mailed and delivered to its destination within 10 working days. If you do not receive your updated license within four weeks of payment, contact the board office. A license can only be updated within 60 days prior to the expiration date. An additional fee for processing a late renewal will be imposed if the license is not updated on time. The license will not be updated until the additional fee is received.
To remain certified, Pas must earn 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and must pass a re - certification exam every six years. In addition a number of universities now offer post-graduate programs for physician assistants.

General Information:
An application for a license can be downloaded from the board’s website or you may call the board office at 804 - 662 - 7664. The average time to process an application is 6 to 8 weeks.
Virginia does not issue a temporary license, however, pending the outcome of the next examination administered by the NCCPA, an applicant who has met all other requirements at the time his application is submitted may be granted provisional licensure. The provisional licensure shall be valid until the applicant takes the next subsequent NCCPA examination and its results are reported, not to exceed 30 days.

In Virginia, a licensed physician assistant shall have the authority to prescribe controlled substances and devices for Schedules V and VI on and after July 1, 2001 and Schedules IV through VI on and after January 1, 2003. The board requires successful completion of a minimum of 35 hours of acceptable training in pharmacology. The application for employment protocol will include a request for prescriptive authority will constitute a written agreement with the licensed physician for the supervision of the prescriptive practices of the assistant.

If for any reason a physician’s assistant discontinues employment with their supervising physician they are no longer considered certified, and must file a new application when re - employed.

Required Fees:

Unless otherwise provided, the following fees shall not be refundable:

1. The initial application fee for a license, payable at the time application is filed, shall be $130.

2. The biennial fee for renewal of an active license shall be $135 and for renewal of an inactive license shall be $70, payable in each odd-numbered year in the birth month of the licensee.

3. The additional fee for late renewal of licensure within one renewal cycle shall be $50.

4. A restricted volunteer license shall expire 12 months from the date of issuance and may be renewed without charge by receipt of a renewal application that verifies that the physician assistant continues to comply with provisions of §54.1-2951.3 of the Code of Virginia.

5. The fee for review and approval of a new protocol submitted following initial licensure shall be $15.

6. The fee for reinstatement of a license pursuant to §54.1-2408.2 of the Code of Virginia shall be $2,000.

7. The fee for a duplicate license shall be $5, and the fee for a duplicate wall certificate shall be $15.

8. The fee for a returned check shall be $35.

9. The fee for a letter of good standing/verification to another jurisdiction shall be $10.

10. The fee for an application or for the biennial renewal of a restricted volunteer license shall be $35, due in the licensee's birth month. An additional fee for late renewal of licensure shall be $15 for each renewal cycle.

For More Information, Contact:

Virginia Department Of Health Professions
Board Of Medicine
6603 West Broad St., 5th Floor
Richmond, VA 23230-1712
Phone: 804.662.9908
TTY: 804.662.7197
Fax: 804.662.9517
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/

American Academy Of Physician Assistants
950 North Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-1552
Phone: 703.836.2272
Fax: 703.684.1294
http://www.aapa.org/
[email protected]

The data sources for the information displayed here include: Virginia Career VIEW Research. (Using onet28)