The commissioner shall have the following powers and duties:

1. 1. to promulgate regulations defining and restricting the duties which may be assigned to specialist assistants, the degree of supervision required and the manner in which such duties may be performed;
2. 2. to promulgate regulations establishing such different medical specialties for which specialist assistants may be registered by the education department pursuant to section sixty-five hundred forty-eight of the education law as will most effectively increase the quality of medical care available in this state; provided, however, that no category of specialist assistant shall be established: (a) for areas in which allied health professions are licensed pursuant to the education law or this chapter; or (b) relating to the practice of surgery or practice in the intensive care unit of any general hospital, as defined pursuant to article twenty-eight of this chapter.
3. 3. to conduct and support continuing studies respecting the nature and scope of the duties of specialist assistants in order to promote their effective functioning as members of the health care team;
4. 4. to determine the desirability of and to establish rules for requiring continuing education of specialist assistants;
5. 5. to furnish the education department with suggested criteria which may be used by the education department to help determine the education and training requirements for a specialist assistant;
6. 6. to adopt such other rules and regulations as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this article.