Brooke Borla Chalmers, PA-C’16, has been nationally recognized for earning a specialty credential called a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).
Chalmers, who is employed by Ensemble Medical and HouseCall Primary Care in Knoxville, TN, was recognized for earning a CAQ in psychiatry, a distinction earned by meeting licensure, education and experience requirements and then passing a national exam in the specialty. She is one of only three certified PAs in Tennessee to earn a CAQ in psychiatry.
“Certified PAs who earn the CAQ demonstrate a strong commitment to lifelong learning and attention to evolving medical advancements in their area of practice,” says Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D, PA-C, president and CEO of NCCPA. “Not only have they maintained certification through continuing medical education programs and assessments throughout their careers, they have pursued and been awarded this additional credential that attests to their knowledge and skills in their specialty.”
CAQs are offered to certified PAs in seven specialties: cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, orthopedic surgery, nephrology, pediatrics and psychiatry. NCCPA is the only certifying organization for PAs in the United States. There are more than 123,000 certified PAs in the nation.
