Eligibility.

Eligibility.

Education

To be eligible for certification, the candidate must have graduated from an Anesthesiologist Assistant educational program offered at an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the US Department of Education (USDE) or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

To be eligible for the Certification Exam, the candidate must be enrolled in such a program and verified by the program director as progressing on pace toward the expected graduation date. (See Examination Eligibility Process below.)

The certification candidate who will be awarded a Master’s degree upon academic program completion must receive academic instruction in the following general content areas:

General content areas must include:

1. Those basic medical sciences that are needed as a foundation for the clinical role of the Anesthesiologist Assistant. In particular, the basic science curriculum must include appropriate content in anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology, with particular emphasis on the cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, nervous, and neuromuscular systems.
2. Medical biophysics appropriate to anesthesia practice, including and emphasizing the principles underlying the function of the devices used in anesthesia delivery systems, in life support systems such as ventilators, and in basic and advanced patient monitors.
3. The principles of patient monitoring emphasizing the design, function, and recognition of artifacts and interpretation of data relevant to anesthesia care.
4. The function of lab instruments and interpretation of data obtained from clinical laboratories, cardiac and pulmonary laboratories.
5. The concepts of data analysis as related to the collection, processing, and presentation of basic science and clinical data in medical literature emphasizing methods that support an understanding of clinical decision-making.
6. Patient assessment, including techniques of interviewing to elicit a health history and performing a physical examination at the level appropriate for preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative anesthetic evaluations.
7. Extensive instruction in the clinical practice of anesthesia and patient monitoring, principally in an operating room setting, but also in preoperative areas, postoperative recovery areas, intensive care units, pain clinics, affiliated clinical laboratories and other supporting services.
8. Clinical quality assurance conferences and literature reviews.
9. Competencies in emergency preparedness consistent with professional standards.

Clinical Experience for Primary Certification

The purpose of the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAA) includes ensuring that Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAAs) have the necessary knowledge and skills to practice safely and effectively. For entry-level CAAs, the NCCAA verifies academic qualifications through the program’s accreditation status with the Accreditation Review Committee on Education for the Anesthesiologist Assistant (ARC-AA). ARC-AA accreditation confirms that the program’s curriculum meets the NCCAA’s academic instruction requirements as set forth in ARC-AA Standards and Guidelines, Section III(C). Additionally, the NCCAA verifies each candidate’s progress toward graduation through a status update process with the program director prior to each exam administration. (See Examination Eligibility Process below.) As a prerequisite for certification eligibility and to maintain and protect the strength of the CAA credential, the NCCAA collects a record of clinical experience from student anesthesiologist assistants (SAAs) to confirm that entry level clinical experience standards are met for new CAAs. Clinical hours and experiences are self-reported to the NCCAA via a digital mobile application. The clinical experience record is reviewed to determine certification eligibility. SAAs are required to complete education and clinical training minimums prior to becoming eligible for board certification by examination. For a complete list of clinical experience requirements see the NCCAA Standards for Clinical Experience, available at: https://www.nccaatest.org/2024ClinicalExperienceGuidelinesHB.pdf

The clinical experience requirements are set out in full in the Clinical Experience Guidelines for Initial Certification.

Examination Eligibility Process.

The NCCAA determines examination eligibility through a multi-step verification process conducted in coordination with accredited anesthesiologist assistant educational programs:

1. Matriculation Reporting: Upon student matriculation, the program submits enrolled student information to the NCCAA, including each student’s expected graduation date.
2. Ongoing Status Updates: The program notifies the NCCAA of any changes to a student’s enrollment status, expected graduation date, or other relevant circumstances throughout the student’s enrollment.
3. Pre-Examination Verification: Prior to each Certification Exam administration, the NCCAA contacts the program director to request a status update on each candidate’s progress toward graduation. This verification confirms whether the candidate remains on pace to graduate by the expected date.
4. Eligibility Determination: Candidates verified as on pace to graduate are deemed examination eligible and may register for the Certification Exam.
5. Post-Examination Graduation Verification: Following a successful Certification Exam result, the NCCAA requests verification of graduation from the program. Certification is conferred only after graduation has been confirmed and all other certification requirements have been met.

Program directors are responsible for providing accurate and timely information at each stage of this process. The forms and communications used for each step are provided by the NCCAA directly to program directors.