NZPAS Voluntary Registry
Get on the NZPAS Voluntary Registry
To be added to the NZPAS Voluntary Registry and to work in New Zealand as a Physician Associate, you must meet the following criteria:
Meet the Standards and Regulatory Requirements for either the US, Canada, or the UK.
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Meet the NZPAS Standards for Voluntary Registry
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Agree to the NZPAS Code of Conduct
Country Standards & Regulation Requirements
USA
Accredited Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), Certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Voluntary provision of their NCCPA certification number. Physician assistants have a license to prescribe and are registered with the Drug Enforcement Agency.
CANADA
Accreditation Canada offers accreditation of PA training programs with Canadian Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA). National Certification Process with the Physician Assistant Certification Council of Canada (PACCC). Canadian PAs have a license to prescribe medication.
UNITED KINGDOM
Accreditation education standards are set and reviewed with the Faculty of Physician Associates (FPA). FPA has a Physician Associate managed voluntary registry(PAMVR). The Physician Associate National Examination (PANE) is the standardized certification examination. The General Medical Council is the regulatory authority for Physician Associates.
NZPAS Standards for Voluntary Registry Consideration
- US trained PAs: a minimum of 3 years of FTE employment
- UK trained PAs: a minimum of 5 years of FTE employment
- Canadian trained PAs: a minimum of 3 years experience of FTE employment
All applicants for consideration must have sufficient experience in a scope of practice that is equivalent to the one they will practice in New Zealand. This can be within a reasonable span of years for PAs with greater than 7 years of practice experience.
Code of Conduct
NZPAS Voluntary Registry
The New Zealand Physician Associate Society (NZPAS) provides voluntary registration for Physician Associates who meet criteria guidelines including safety standards, qualifications, and work experience. These requirements differ by country according to training history, accreditation, scope of practice, prescribing background, and years of professional experience. The criteria are consistent with similar New Zealand standards that are required for doctors applying to practice here. Regulation for Physician Associates under the Medical Council of New Zealand is pending, and it is anticipated that the experience and standards for Physician Associates will reflect aspects of the international medical graduate requirements used for doctors practicing in New Zealand.
The standards and criteria have undergone extensive review and adaptation over the years to strengthen the profession during its period of unregulated practice, thereby contributing to its growth and capacity to address workforce shortages nationally. The NZPAS has implemented these standards to support high quality of care to serve the interests of patients, employers, Physician Associates, and supervising physicians.
Once the physician associate is added to the registry, they will be provided with a voluntary registry number.