.05  Qualifications for Licensure as a Physician Assistant.

A. Application. Applicants shall:

(1) Complete an application on a form approved by the Board;

(2) Pay an application fee as defined in Regulation .16 of this chapter;

(3) Be at least 18 years old;

(4) Be of good moral character; and

(5) Demonstrate oral and written competency in English by one or more of the following:

(a) Graduation from a recognized English-speaking high school or undergraduate school after at least 3 years of enrollment;

(b) Graduation from a recognized English-speaking professional school; or

(c) Receiving a grade of:

(i) At least 26 on the Speaking Section of the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language; and

(ii) At least 79 on the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language.

B. Education.

(1) An applicant who has successfully completed an educational program for physician assistants shall:

(a) Have graduated from a physician assistant program accredited by The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), its predecessor, or its successor; and

(b) Have passed the physician assistant national certifying examination administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) or its successor.

(2) In addition to the requirement specified in §B(1) of this regulation, an applicant who has successfully completed an educational program for physician assistants after October 1st, 2003, shall have one of the following:

(a) A bachelor’s degree; or

(b) At least 120 credit hours of education at the college or university level.

C. Primary Source Verification. The Board may accept the Federation Credential Verification Service for primary source verification of a physician assistant's education and examination.