The American Board of Dermatology Physician Assistants LLC (ABDPA) announces its official launch.
The ABDPA functions to assess and certify Dermatology PAs who meet specific educational, training and professional requirements. The ABDPA is an independent organization governed by a Board of Directors consisting of physician assistants and dermatologists.
In the past, board-certification for dermatology physician assistants has been unavailable. The ABDPA aims to fill this void in dermatology by creating a national standard for those professionals who have committed their careers to the treatment of skin disease, it notes in a media release.
At this time, there are approximately 5,000 dermatology-trained physician assistants in practice in the United States. The ABDPA assesses the qualifications of applicants twice yearly by hosting a certifying examination. The exam consists of 125-multiple choice questions encompassing all areas of dermatology, including but not limited to: basic science, medical dermatology, dermatologic surgery, pediatric dermatology, ethics, billing/coding, and laboratory medicine.
Applicants to the board who successfully complete the qualifying examination are granted status as a Board Certified Dermatology Physician Assistant.
The organization will be announcing the inaugural class of board-certified members in the coming weeks, per the release.
[Source(s): American Board of Dermatology Physician Assistants LLC, Business Wire]
