Eastern Long Island Hospital Employee Earns National Recognition

Photo: Eastern Long Island Hospital

An Eastern Long Island Hospital employee, Christopher Edelstein (MPAS, PA-C), was recently awarded a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

Edelstein was awarded a CAQ in Hospital Medicine, a distinction earned by meeting licensure, education and experience requirements and then passing an exam in the specialty.

He was one of only 240 certified physician assistants in the U.S. to earn a CAQ and one of only eight certified PAs in the nation to earn CAQs in two specialties.

He earned a CAQ in Emergency Medicine 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.

They 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.