State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > Vermont > Title-26 > Chapter-31 > 1734
§ 1734. Eligibility
(a) To be eligible for certification as a physician's assistant, an applicant shall:
(1) have graduated from a board-approved physician's assistant program sponsored by an institution of higher education and have satisfactorily completed the certification examination given by the National Commission on the Certification of Physicians' Assistants (NCCPA); or
(2) have completed a board-approved apprenticeship program, including an evaluation conducted by the board. The requirements of apprenticeship programs shall be set by the board to ensure continuing opportunity for nonuniversity trained persons to practice as physician's assistants consistent with ensuring the highest standards of professional medical care.
(b) A person intending to practice as a physician's assistant and his or her supervising physician shall be responsible for designing and presenting an apprenticeship program to the board for approval. The program shall be approved in a timely fashion unless there is good reason to believe that the program would be inconsistent with the public health, safety and welfare.
(c) Evaluation procedures followed by the board shall be fair and reasonable and shall be designed and implemented to demonstrate competence in the skills required of a physician's assistant and to reasonably ensure that all applicants are certified unless there is good reason to believe that certification of a particular applicant would be inconsistent with the public health, safety and welfare. An evaluation shall include reviewing statements of the supervising physician who has observed the applicant conduct a physical examination, render a diagnosis, give certain tests to patients, prepare and maintain medical records and charts, render treatment, provide patient education and prescribe medication. The evaluation shall be of activities appropriate to the applicant's approved training program. They shall not be designed or implemented for the purpose of limiting the number of certified physician's assistants.
(d) When the board intends to deny an application for certification, it shall send the applicant written notice of its decision by certified mail. The notice shall include a statement of the reasons for the action. Within 30 days of the date that an applicant receives such notice, the applicant may file a petition with the board for review of its preliminary decision. At the hearing, the burden shall be on the applicant to show that certification should be granted. After the hearing, the board shall affirm or reverse its preliminary denial.
(e) Failure to maintain competence in the knowledge and skills of a physician's assistant, as determined by the board, shall be cause for revocation of certification. Any person whose certification has been revoked for failure to maintain competence may practice for one year as a registered physician's assistant trainee, but shall be examined at the end of that period in the manner provided in subsection (a) of this section. Should the person fail upon reexamination, the person shall be enjoined from practice until meeting all requirements for certification under this chapter. (Added 1981, No. 100, § 4; amended 1985, No. 208 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. June 30, 1986.)
