What does a PA need to complete if their primary supervising physician is an DO?

• A. Must be licensed under the State Board of Medicine before the DO's written agreement is submitted to the SBOM
• B. Can have an MD or DO as an alternate supervising physician
• C. Must be licensed under the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine before the DO's written agreement is submitted to SBOM
• D. No licensure requirement is needed

Answer: (C)

When the supervising physician is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, the PA must be licensed by the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine. This alignment ensures the PA’s practice is governed under osteopathic regulation, and the written supervision agreement with the DO is submitted to the osteopathic board for approval. Because the DO’s oversight falls under the osteopathic regulatory framework, obtaining osteopathic licensure before submitting the written agreement to the SBOM is the correct sequence.

Licensing under the allopathic State Board of Medicine would not fit this DO-supervised arrangement, and stating that no licensure is needed is inaccurate. While some programs may allow MD or DO as alternate supervisors in other contexts, the key requirement here is osteopathic licensure to match the primary DO supervisor.