Requirements for license

§ 6541. Requirements for license. 1. To qualify for a license as a physician assistant, each person shall pay a fee of one hundred fifteen dollars to the department for admission to a department conducted examination, a fee of forty-five dollars for each reexamination and a fee of seventy dollars for persons not requiring admission to a department conducted examination and shall also submit satisfactory evidence, verified by oath or affirmation, that he or she:

(a) at the time of application is at least twenty-one years of age;

(b) is of good moral character;

(c) has received an education including a bachelor's or equivalent degree in accordance with the commissioner's regulations;

(d) has satisfactorily completed an approved program for the training of physician assistants. The approved program for the training of physician assistants shall include not less than forty weeks of supervised clinical training and thirty-two credit hours of classroom work. Applicants for a license as a physician assistant who have completed an approved program leading to a bachelor's degree or equivalent in physician assistant studies shall be deemed to have satisfied this paragraph. The commissioner is empowered to determine whether an applicant possesses equivalent education and training, such as experience as a nurse or military corpsman, which may be accepted in lieu of all or part of an approved program; and

(e) in the case of an applicant for a license as a physician assistant, has obtained a passing score on an examination acceptable to the department.

2. The department shall furnish to each person applying for a license pursuant to this section an application form calling for such information as the department deems necessary and shall issue to each applicant who satisfies the requirements of subdivision one of this section a license as a physician assistant in a particular medical specialty for the period expiring December thirty-first of the first odd-numbered year terminating subsequent to the issuance of such license.

3. Every licensee shall apply to the department for a renewal of his or her license. The department shall mail to every licensed physician assistant an application form for renewal, addressed to the licensee's post office address on file with the department. Upon receipt of such application properly executed, together with evidence of satisfactory completion of such continuing education requirements as may be established by the commissioner of health pursuant to section thirty-seven hundred one of the public health law, the department shall issue a renewal. Renewal periods shall be triennial and the renewal fee shall be forty-five dollars.