The Auditor
State of Hawai‘i

A Comparative Study of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Professional and Vocational Licenses

Report No. 05-14
December 2005

 

Foreword

Introduction

License Summaries

Accountant, Certified Public

Acupuncture

Chiropractor

Contractor

Electrician, Journeyman

Electrician, Supervising

Optometrist

Osteopathic Physician

Pharmacist

Pharmacy

Physician

Physician Assistant

Plumber, Journeyman

Plumber, Master

Podiatrist

Veterinarian

 

Physician Assistant

Summary Overall Rank Continuing Education License Fees Table

Summary

Hawai‘i
ranks close to the national median in physician assistant license requirements.  

Requirement

Hawai‘i

Category Rank

National Median

OVERALL RANK (quintile)

2

 

 

Education

Graduation from an accredited physician assistant program

Not Ranked

Graduation from an accredited physician assistant program

Examination and Certification

NCCPA certification

Not Ranked

NCCPA certification or passing the NCCPA examination

Fees

$210

3

$225

Continuing Education

50 hours per year

3

50 hours per year

Reciprocity or Endorsement

No

3

No. 12 states have some form of reciprocity or endorsement.

 Notes on Physician Assistant ranking:

1 = most difficult, most requirements, highest fees.
5 = least difficult, fewest requirements, lowest fees.

Education:  All states require graduation from an accredited physician assistant program. This requirement is a prerequisite to National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) certification.

Examination: All states specify either passing the NCCPA administered examination or NCCPA certification. The NCCPA awards certification upon passing the examination.

Fees: Rank is based on the cost of an initial license, an annualized renewal fee, and the application or registration fee for the supervising physician. This reflects the cost of obtaining and renewing a license. Eight states charge an additional fee to register a supervising physician.

Continuing education: This is expressed as hours per year.  Fifty hours per year of CE was attributed to states that did not specifically require continuing education but required current NCCPA certification for renewal. The NCCPA requires 100 hours of continuing education every two years to maintain certification. Eight states do not require evidence of continuing education or current NCCPA certification as a prerequisite to renew a license.

 Reciprocity:  Twelve states have some form of reciprocity or endorsement.