Physician Assistant - Pennsylvania - Physician Assistant

Section 9.1(a) of ABC-MAP* requires that all prescribers or dispensers, as defined in Section 3 of ABCMAP, applying for licensure/certification complete at least four (4) hours of Board-approved education consisting of two (2) hours in pain management or the identification of addiction and two (2) hours in the practices of prescribing or dispensing of opioids. Medical physician and surgeons, medical physician assistants, and licensed nurse-midwives who hold prescriptive authority approval fall within ABC-MAP’s definition of prescribers or dispensers. Medical physician and surgeons, medical physician assistants, and licensed nurse-midwives seeking prescriptive authority approval on or after July 1, 2017, must document, within one (1) year from issuance of the license or prescriptive authority approval, that they completed this education either as part of their professional degree education program, or through a stand-alone course from a nurse-midwife advanced pharmacology course provider, authorized by § 18.6(6) of the Board’s regulations, or a continuing education course from a nurse-midwife continuing education provider, listed in § 21.334 (a) of the State Board of Nursing Board’s regulations and its completion attested to when applying for renewal. The four (4) hours of Board-approved education needs to be completed only once.

In order for medical physician and surgeons, medical physician assistants and nurse-midwives with prescriptive authority to renew their license or prescriptive authority approval for the next renewal period, section 9.1(a)(2) of ABC-MAP requires that they complete at least two (2) hours of continuing education in pain management, the identification of addiction or For medical physician assistants, this continuing education must be acceptable for credit by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)the practices of prescribing or dispensing of opioids. The continuing education requirements of ABC-MAP will count towards the total number of continuing education credits required for renewal.

All persons applying for the renewal of a license or certification issued by the licensing board to submit documentation acceptable to the licensing board of the completion of at least two (2) hours of approved continuing education per licensure cycle. Continuing education shall address, but shall not be limited to, recognition of the signs of child abuse and the reporting requirements for suspected child abuse in this Commonwealth. Continuing education curricula shall be approved by the licensing board in consultation with the department. The two (2) hours of continuing education on child abuse recognition and reporting shall be completed by each licensee as a portion of the total continuing education required for biennial license renewal

Applicants must complete 3 hours of Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting for initial licensure.