NDAPA and COVID-19

NDAPA members and former members,

The NDAPA Board of Directors would like to thank all our hard-working PAs and all other health care workers for their efforts during this COVID-19 pandemic. If you are anything like me, you have been subject to non-stop information on the virus and everything associated with it. Things change by the hour. The NDAPA does not have any full-time personnel, but even if we did, recommendations about testing, patient contacts, and management of the infection change rapidly. 

So instead of attempting to update you by the hour, please make sure to follow the ND Health Dept on the web at https://www.health.nd.gov/diseases-conditions/coronavirus or on social media. 

One question that I have received is about emergency response to an event such as COVID-19 and if PAs need to report to the ND Board of Medicine with any changes in their practice. The simple answer is no. With our bill that passed last year, you can work and practice in any capacity that is within your education and training and that fits into one of the criteria:

1. A licensed health care facility (hospitals and nursing homes),

2. Facilities with a credentialing and privileging system (most clinics),

3. Physician-owned practices,

4. or a practice approved by the ND Board of Medicine. 

Always make sure to keep your contact information with them up to date. If you have any questions related to PA practice in North Dakota in relation to emergency response or anything at all, please email me at NDAPAboard@gmail.com or call/text me at 701-361-4074. CLICK HERE for a link to the official administrative rules for the regulation on PAs in North Dakota.

Take care and stay healthy,

Jay Metzger, PA-C