Alabama Physician Assistant Programs for Licensure

How to Become a Physician Assistant in Alabama

Physician assistants working in Alabama occupy a key niche in the state’s healthcare system. Besides the education requirements in place to become a physician assistant, the state ensures its PAs are competent to practice medicine through a mandatory licensure process supervised by the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners.

Learning how to become a physician assistant in Alabama proceeds along the following steps:

  1. Meet the Prerequisites for Physician Assistant Programs
  2. Complete an Accredited Physician Assistant Program
  3. Take the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE)
  4. Licensure and Registration with the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners (ALBME)
  5. Maintain an Alabama Physician Assistant License and Professional Networking

Step 1. Meet the Prerequisites for Physician Assistant Programs

Before candidates can apply to physician assistant programs in Alabama they will need to already meet certain academic requirements. These can vary somewhat between PA programs offered, however there are some general requirements including:

  • Having an undergraduate bachelor’s degree in any field
  • Meeting the program-specific biology, chemistry, math, and anatomy prerequisites
  • Many programs require completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
  • Meeting grade point average and GRE test score requirements

Any undergraduate degree can be used in an application to a PA program and in many cases provide informative supplemental information. Applicants can also save some time on prerequisite courses by pursing a bachelor degree that includes courses required for physician assistant programs, such as:

  • Medical Assistant
  • Nursing
  • Public Health
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Pre-Medicine

Step 2. Complete an Accredited Physician Assistant Program

When it comes to choosing a PA program that meets the required accreditation in Alabama, there are three bodies that must be taken into consideration. The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners (ALBME) recognizes either of two accrediting agencies when considering whether to grant a license and registration for the right to practice as a physician assistant in the state:

  • The Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation (CAHEA)
  • The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)

Additionally to gain this licensure and registration, students must pass the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE), which in turn requires students to have graduated from a PA program that is certified by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).

Put more simply, Step 2 requires a physician assistant program to be accredited by the ARC-PA and either the CAHEA or CAAHEP in order for its graduates to be able to practice legally in Alabama.

Step 3. Take the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE)

Once students have graduated from their physician assistant program they can start the process of getting licensed and registered with the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners (ALBME). A key part of this is passing the PANCE test offered through the National Commission on Certification of Physicians Assistants (NCCPA). PAs can register for this on the NCCPA’s website, and the test itself includes:

  • $475 registration fee
  • Five blocks of 60 multiple-choice questions each lasting one hour
  • 45 minutes in total are allowed for breaks that can be taken between each block
  • A total of 300 questions over a five-hour span

Step 4. Licensure and Registration with the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners (ALBME)

The ALBME provides a helpful online guide for its licensure and registration application packets. Once physician assistants have obtained these they can start their careers in the Alabama. A complete application for licensure includes:

  • $200 licensure fee
  • $65 criminal history background check fee and fingerprint cards
  • Complete and notarized PA License Application
  • Physician Assistant Diploma

An application for registration with a physician to establish an official working partnership must be completed for each new professional relationship and submitted to the ALBME. Complete registration application packets include:

Step 5. Maintain an Alabama Physician Assistant License and Professional Networking

New physician assistants who have made it this far will have begun to feel the satisfaction that comes from finally working in a field that has required years of preparation. To maintain legal practice, PAs need renew their license with the ALBME once a year by the first day in January at a cost of $100.

To maintain certification with the National Commission on Certification of Physicians Assistants (NCCPA), PAs must obtain 100 credits of continuing medical education (CME) and pay a $130 service maintenance fee every two years. Every six years PAs must pass a recertification exam. Starting in 2014 recertification will switch from the six-year to a ten-year cycle.

As physician assistants become more integrated into the Alabama medical community they will discover opportunities to expand their reputation and contribute to the betterment of their field both statewide and nationally. Some well-known organizations include:

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