Mariah Wood Thaxton, PA-C, who practices with Athens-Clarke Emergency Specialists in the emergency departments of St. Mary's Hospital in Athens and St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital in Greensboro, has been nationally recognized for earning a specialty credential called a Certificate of Added Qualifications from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

Thaxton, a resident of Oconee County, was recognized for earning a CAQ in Emergency Medicine, a distinction earned by meeting licensure, education and experience requirements and then passing a national exam in the specialty. She is one of 13 PAs to earn a CAQ in Emergency Medicine in Georgia since the program’s inception in 2011.

“Certified PAs are prepared and proven providers who contribute real value to the healthcare of this nation,” says Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D, PA-C, president and CEO of NCCPA. “They graduate from demanding masters-level programs, pass a rigorous certification exam, and maintain certification at the highest level through continuing medical education programs and retesting throughout their careers. Certified PAs increase access to care for patients in every specialty and clinical setting, including those that are historically underserved.”

CAQs are offered to certified PAs in seven specialties: cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, orthopedic surgery, nephrology, pediatrics and psychiatry.