A Pathologists’ Assistant (PA) performs gross dissection and description of small/simple and large/complex surgical specimens including complex cases (L4E level 6, or MIS Complexity 5, or equivalent) AND can perform complete autopsies. (forensic and/or clinical [perinatal and/or pediatric and/or adult)
Certification Requirements
1. Graduation from a NAACLS-accredited PA program within the last 5 years
2. Successful completion of the Pathologists’ Assistant Certification Exam within 2 years of application for certification
Required Documentation
1.
Proof of completion of minimum required education. Applications will be reviewed, and applicants will be informed if the application is approved, requires additional materials or does not qualify against the ISO standards. Approval of the application does not mean certification, rather it means that you are approved to proceed via your route of certification and are granted permission to write the appropriate exam for your certification type, if applicable.
Process
Applications are received and a committee member vets. This can take 4-6 weeks. Applicants who are deemed eligible to sit the
certification exam receive a date stamped notice stating that they are eligible to sit the certification exam and information on examination writing
dates/locations.
Applicants must successfully write the certification exam within two (2) years (and up to three (3) attempts) of their dated stamped notice. The date stamped notice must accompany the applicant to the examination site. If the applicant is not approved, the application committee will be in touch with options and/or the applicant can proceed with an
appeal process.
NOTE: Certification application fees are non-refundable.
Ensure you have all the correct documentation before you proceed. Approved applications may be audited for completeness and documentation verified. If it is determined that documents submitted do not meet the minimum requirement for the route, and if correct documentation cannot be provided (by the applicant), the decision may be revoked.