Alumna of physician assistant program nationally recognized

Jan. 24, 2018 | Physician Assistant | Amanda Card Spahn was recently awarded the specialty credential Certificate of Added Qualifications from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, making her the only PA in the state with the credential in emergency medicine. Spahn received the CAQ in emergency medicine, a distinction earned by meeting licensure, education and experience requirements and then passing a national exam in the specialty. Spahn is a certified physician assistant who graduated from the Harding University physician assistant program in 2011 and works at Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith, Arkansas. “I felt that I needed a deeper understanding of emergency medicine to better help take care of patients,” Spahn said. “Pursuing the CAQ in emergency medicine helped me to obtain that goal.” CAQs are offered to certified PAs in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, orthopaedic surgery, nephrology, pediatrics and psychiatry. “Certified PAs are prepared and proven providers who contribute real value to the health care of this nation,” says Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D, president and CEO of NCCPA. “They graduate from demanding master’s-level programs, pass a rigorous certification exam, and maintain certification at the highest level through continuing medical education programs and retesting throughout their careers. Certified PAs increase access to care for patients in every specialty and clinical setting including those that are historically underserved.”