North Carolina Governor Josh Stein signed a bill into law on July 1 that includes 2 key reforms affecting physician associates (PAs). The new law enters North Carolina into the interstate PA licensure compact and removes supervisory requirements for experienced PAs who practice in team-based settings.
“With the enactment of this law, more than 9000 PAs in North Carolina will be empowered to improve health care in the state. PAs are essential to expanding patient access to high-quality care — this was true in 1967 when the first class of PAs graduated from Duke University Medical Center, and it is true today,” said American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) President and Chair of the Board Todd Pickard, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, FASCO, in a press release from the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants (NCAPA).
North Carolina Enters PA Licensure Compact
The PA licensure compact allows PAs to provide care to other states that are in the compact.
“Having North Carolina be a part of this compact allows PAs from other states, when they relocate to the area, to be able to get their licensure in place and everything together much more quickly to be able to provide care,” said Meg Beal, PA-C, in an interview with The Clinical Advisor. Ms Beal is a PA at Atlantic Reproductive Medicine in Raleigh, North Carolina…