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:

Country Standards & Regulation Requirements

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.

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.