The recertification exam

The recertification exam is designed to cover all core areas of practice that a physician associate is expected to maintain knowledge in, regardless of whether they are working in a specific specialty. Medicine is forever changing and PAs have a responsibility to keep up to date. This ensures that physician associates are fit to practise and safe for patients. 

The fee for the recertification exam is £275. Payment must be received prior to the exam. 

Recertification component 1 - written

Thursday 5 September 2019

Aberdeen, Liverpool, London and further venues TBC

Application Period: 1-15 July 2019
Results Release: 1 November 2019

All candidates must register online for the physician associate certification exam and the physician associate recertification exam. The registration link will open approximately two months prior to component 1 written exam.

Registration is now closed for September's intake. 

Sitting the recertification examination 

In order to remain on the Physician Associate Managed Voluntary Register (PAMVR) physician associates have to sit the recertification examination every six years.Physician associates have three attempts to sit and pass the recertification examination.

The first opportunity will be at the beginning of their fifth year of practice after qualifying as a physician associate and they must pass the exam before the end of their sixth year.

If any physician associate fails the recertification exam on three occasions or doesn’t pass the exam within the above timeframe, they will be removed from the PAMVR and their employer notified. They will then have to take the qualifying exam or follow the process that the statutory regulator stipulates in order to enter onto the PAMVR.