Licensure

Requirements

This outlines the appropriate requirements for obtaining an Anesthesiologist Assistant license. The Board reserves the right to make whatever additional demands on the applicant for licensure the Board deems appropriate at the time. Below is a summary of what is listed in the rules of Chapter 32 of the North Carolina Administrative Code.

Submit all materials to:
North Carolina Medical Board, PO Box 20007, Raleigh, NC 27619 (919.326.1100), or
North Carolina Medical Board, 3127 Smoketree Court, Raleigh, NC 27604
Please do not submit photocopies or facsimiles unless specifically permitted.

1. Completed application form.

• CIRCLE the correct answer for all questions.
 
• Provide DETAILED explanations for affirmative answers.  A claim form must be completed for EACH malpractice suit or settlement (form enclosed-photocopy as needed).  Attach a photocopy of plaintiffs complaints and settlement orders for each incident.
• Sign applicant’s oath and have signature NOTARIZED.  Make sure the original application form is submitted to the Board.  Applications will be sent back to the applicant if the dates do not match. 
• Include name change documentation, if applicable.
 

2. One Certified Photograph:  no smaller than 2 ½” x 3 ¼”, head and shoulders shot, taken within the past sixty (60) days, of durable quality, (not a snapshot or home Polaroid) to be certified by your   anesthesiologist assistant program on the Anesthesiologist Assistant Program Certification form.  This   certification must bear the original signature of the Dean or other Official of your program, their official title and the seal of the school must be placed over the photo and mailed to the Board’s address. THIS REQUIREMENT CANNOT BE WAIVED.

3. You must secure a report from each state, Canadian province or US territory regarding status of licensure. All licenses, active and/or inactive, must be verified. Most licensing agencies charge a fee for this service. The verifications should be sent directly to the NC Medical Board. NCMB accepts license verification through the veridoc service.

• If you have ever been licensed in Connecticut, you must send the consent for release of confidential disciplinary records form, along with the NC licensure verification form to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. If you have never been licensed in Connecticut, disregard the form.

4. Verification of certification from the National Commission for the Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAA).  Verifications may be obtained by going to the NCCAA website (http://www.aa-nccaa.org/cgi-bin/cert.pl). 

5. Three current reference forms.  These forms must be sent from the reference sources directly to the North Carolina Medical Board.

The forms must originals with original signatures of the authors, addressed to the NC Medical Board (not “To Whom it may concern”).
At least one form must be from an anesthesiologist with whom you have worked or trained regarding your competence to practice as an AA.
Recommendations must not be from a relative.

6. Applicants must submit two completed fingerprint cards along with their application form, application fee and authority for release of information form for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.  Expect a minimum of 8 weeks for the report to be received.  Since rejections are common, the SBI has suggested that applicants use lotion or witch hazel on their hands before being fingerprinted.  Fingerprint cards are submitted for processing twice a week.  The SBI has suggested that using live scan when available may be a more reliable choice.  When possible have different officials complete each card.

7. Data Bank Query (applies to all pathways). NCMB staff will request a current report from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) AND the Healthcare Integrity Practitioner Data Bank (HIPDB)

8. Continuing Medical Education. Documentation must be provided to show that the Anesthesiologist Assistant is in compliance with all continuing education requirements and recertification requirements of the National Commission for the Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants or its successor organization. 

Registration. North Carolina Law requires licensed anesthesiologist assistants to register with the Board within 30 days of their birth date, every year, no matter when the license is issued. A registration fee is required.

Process

Our process involves the collection of credentials from you the applicant, and from other sources as well.  Once all application materials have been collected, our staff must review them.  After reviews have been done, it may be necessary for the staff to request additional information, and/or to return items that need corrections or clarifications.  It is our goal to review materials as quickly as possible, but we must be thorough.  You should not expect the entire process to take less than four months.  You must have successfully completed the NCCAA examination to qualify for licensure.  Please adhere to the following guidelines: 

1. Credentials received prior to receiving your application will be held in our office for one year. Items more than a year old will be considered expired.

2.  Processing time may take longer during the months of March through August, due to the increased number of applications received at the North Carolina Medical Board. 

3. Without an anesthesiologist assistant license and a primary supervising anesthesiologist, you cannot practice as an anesthesiologist assistant in North Carolina.  Do not make practice commitments prematurely. 

4. If you have been named in any malpractice suits, or have answered “yes” to any of the questions on our application, please include detailed information and anticipate the possibility that additional information will be requested and a personal interview with the Board may be required. 

5.  State law will only allow us to speak to the applicant about the application.  Relatives, staff members, future employers, placement services and insurance companies cannot be informed about the status of your application. 

6. After your application has been received and reviewed you will be notified.  You will be provided with a status update regarding deficiencies. 

Questions regarding your application can be e-mailed to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Fees

A fee of $190.00 U.S. dollars is to be paid at the time the application is submitted.  ($150.00 for the license application fee, $38.00 for the criminal background check fee, and $2.50 for the NPDB report fee).  Personal checks made payable to the NC Medical Board are acceptable. Checks returned for insufficient funds will require an additional $20.00 fee. Returned checks must be replaced by a certified check or money order.  Fees received are not refundable. Applications will not be processed until an application fee has been received.