1. A. Application. Applicants shall:

   1. (1) Complete an application on a form approved by the Board;
   2. (2) Pay an application fee as defined in Regulation .16 of this chapter;
   3. (3) Be at least 18 years old;
   4. (4) Be of good moral character; and

   5. (5) Demonstrate oral and written competency in English by one or more of the following:

      1. (a) Graduation from a recognized English-speaking high school or undergraduate school after at least 3 years of enrollment;
      2. (b) Graduation from a recognized English-speaking professional school; or

      3. (c) Receiving a grade of:

         1. (i) At least 26 on the Speaking Section of the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language; and
         2. (ii) At least 79 on the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language.

2. B. Education.

   1. (1) An applicant who has successfully completed an educational program for physician assistants shall:

      1. (a) Have graduated from a physician assistant program accredited by The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), its predecessor, or its successor; and
      2. (b) Have passed the physician assistant national certifying examination administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) or its successor.

   2. (2) In addition to the requirement specified in §B(1) of this regulation, an applicant who has successfully completed an educational program for physician assistants after October 1st, 2003, shall have one of the following:

      1. (a) A bachelor’s degree; or
      2. (b) At least 120 credit hours of education at the college or university level.
3. C. Primary Source Verification. The Board may accept the Federation Credential Verification Service for primary source verification of a physician assistant's education and examination.

Authority: Health Occupations Article, §§1-213, 1-606, 14-205, 15-101—15-502, Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date: May 28, 1975 (2:12 Md. R. 870)

Chapter revised effective October 26, 1981 (8:21 Md. R. 1708)

Regulations .02 and .05F amended effective September 27, 1982 (9:19 Md. R. 1895)

Regulations .05B-1 and .09A-1 adopted effective September 27, 1982 (9:19 Md. R. 1895)

Regulations .01—.11 repealed effective March 18, 1991 (18:5 Md. R. 594)

Regulations .01—.12 adopted effective March 18, 1991 (18:5 Md. R. 594)

Regulations .02, .03, .06, .10, and .11 amended; Regulations .07—.09 and .12 repealed; and new Regulations .07—.09, .12, and .15 adopted as an emergency provision effective August 12, 1999 (26:18 Md. R. 1369); amended permanently effective January 24, 2000 (27:1 Md. R. 76)

Regulations .02 and .05—.07 amended and new Regulation .06-1 adopted as an emergency provision effective November 8, 1996 (23:24 Md. R. 1676); emergency status expired October 1, 1997

Regulation .02B amended effective October 2, 1997 (24:17 Md. R. 1214); July 12, 1999 (26:14 Md. R. 1082)

Regulation .04B amended effective July 12, 1999 (26:14 Md. R. 1082)

Regulation .05B amended effective October 2, 1997 (24:17 Md. R. 1214)

Regulation .06C amended effective November 22, 1993 (20:23 Md. R. 1804); October 2, 1997 (24:17 Md. R. 1214)

Regulation .06D adopted effective October 2, 1997 (24:17 Md. R. 1214)

Regulation .07A amended effective September 11, 1995 (22:18 Md. R. 1399)

Regulation .07C adopted effective October 2, 1997 (24:17 Md. R. 1214)

Regulation .11B amended effective April 25, 1994 (21:8 Md. R. 673)

Regulation .13 adopted effective July 12, 1999 (26:14 Md. R. 1082)

Regulation .14 adopted effective July 12, 1999 (26:14 Md. R. 1082)

Chapter revised effective May 1, 2004 (31:7 Md. R. 584)

Regulation .06D adopted as an emergency provision effective October 1, 2006 (33:24 Md. R. 1905); adopted permanently effective January 15, 2007 (34:1 Md. R. 32)

Regulation .08C amended as an emergency provision effective October 1, 2006 (33:24 Md. R. 1905); amended permanently effective January 15, 2007 (34:1 Md. R. 32)

Regulation .09C amended as an emergency provision effective October 1, 2006 (33:24 Md. R. 1905); amended permanently effective January 15, 2007 (34:1 Md. R. 32)

Chapter revised as an emergency provision effective August 18, 2011 (38:19 Md. R. 1146); revised permanently effective October 3, 2011 (38:20 Md. R. 1202)

Regulation .05C amended effective January 18, 2016 (43:1 Md. R. 14)

Regulation .05F adopted effective November 7, 2016 (43:22 Md. R. 1221)

Regulation .07 amended effective January 18, 2016 (43:1 Md. R. 14)

Regulation .07A amended effective March 26, 2018 (45:6 Md. R. 320)

Regulation .09 amended effective January 2, 2017 (43:26 Md. R. 1446)

Regulation .09E adopted as an emergency provision effective January 4, 2022 (49:4 Md. R. 299); emergency status expired effective July 3, 2022

Regulation .17 adopted effective July 22, 2013 (40:14 Md. R. 1175)

Regulation .18 adopted effective July 22, 2013 (40:14 Md. R. 1175)

Chapter revised effective January 5, 2026 (52:26 Md. R. 1309)

Annotation: COMAR 10.32.03 cited in Attorney General Opinion No. 86-008 (February 18, 1986)