Magdalena (Maggie) Johana Klein, PA-C, who works for Dr. J. Michael Bennett and the Fondren Orthopedic Group, is one of only 240 certified physician assistants (PA-Cs) nationally to recently earn a specialty credential called a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).
Maggie was awarded a CAQ in Orthopaedic Surgery, a distinction earned by meeting licensure, education and experience requirements and then passing an exam in the specialty. She is one of only 52 certified PAs in Texas and approximately 800 nationally to earn a CAQ since the program’s inception in 2011.
“Certified PAs are in high demand because they are valued as medical providers who deliver quality care to the patients they serve,” says Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D., PA-C, president and CEO of NCCPA. “Now in addition to their primary certification, PAs in seven specialties can also earn a CAQ as an objective assessment of their specialty knowledge and skills. This combined with their general medical education are just two of the many reasons that demand for PAs is increasing in every clinical setting and specialty area.”
CAQs are offered to certified PAs in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, orthopaedic surgery, nephrology and psychiatry, and for the first time in 2014, hospital medicine and pediatrics.
Certified PAs are licensed and certified health care professionals who practice medicine. Certified PAs can take histories, conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventative health care, assist in surgery, perform a variety of procedures and write prescriptions.
