The legislative bill S.F. No. 1083 is designed to update the laws regarding the qualifications and practice of physician assistants in Minnesota. This bill modifies the requirements for physician assistants to obtain licensure, setting specific guidelines for their education, certification, and practice environments. Under this bill, to be licensed, physician assistants must:

1. Complete an application using forms approved by the board.
2. Pay a licensure fee set by the board.
3. Hold current certification from a recognized Physician Assistant certification board.
4. Verify their mental and physical capability to practice safely.
5. Have a clean disciplinary record in their practice as physician assistants, unless otherwise considered and approved by the board.
6. Provide any other information required by the board to assess their qualifications.

Additionally, the bill outlines that physician assistants must work under a collaborative agreement in a hospital or integrated clinical setting with physicians for at least 2080 hours. This agreement defines the scope of services the physician assistant may provide and the necessary collaboration with one or more physicians to manage patient care effectively. The collaborating physician does not need to be on-site but must be reachable through modern communication methods.

This bill also mentions that those who were registered as physician assistants by June 30, 1995, can continue to renew their licenses under existing provisions, while new applicants will be licensed according to the updated rules in this chapter.