Recertification: toward the development of standards for assuring continued competence

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professional Certification
• Physician Assistant Studies

Background:

• The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is exploring standards for continued competence.
• Recertification examinations are crucial for ensuring ongoing professional competency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of physician assistants (PAs) on a recertification examination compared to their initial certification.
• To identify factors influencing PA performance on recertification.

Main Methods:

• The 1980 Primary Care Physician's Assistants Certification Examination was administered as a recertification exam to 1,166 PAs certified in 1975.
• Scores were standardized, and correlations were calculated between initial and recertification exam performance.
• Biographical variables, including employment status, were analyzed for their impact on scores.

Main Results:

• Recertification examinees performed less well on all sections compared to initial certification examinees.
• A positive correlation was found between performance on initial and recertification examinations.
• Current employment status was the only biographical variable significantly affecting recertification exam performance.

Conclusions:

• Physician assistant recertification examinees demonstrated lower performance than initial certification examinees.
• While employment status influences scores, the study did not address the test's validity for assessing experienced practitioners' competence.