PANCE is the qualifying examination administered by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) for physician assistant graduates. The examination is a multiple-choice, comprehensive assessment of an individual's clinical knowledge. The NCCPA is the only certifying organization for physician assistants in the United States.

To be eligible for PANCE, you must graduate from a PA program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) as a Physician Assistant Program or a Surgeon Assistant Program. PA program graduates are deemed to have graduated from an accredited program if their PA educational program was accredited at the time of their matriculation.* Following successful completion of the PANCE, a physician assistant is "certified" to practice and can use the initials "PA-C."

* The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Thomas Jefferson University Physician Assistant Program. Learn more about the Center City PA Program Accreditation.