Can Anesthesiologist Assistants Practice in Virginia?
Not yet — Licensure is enacted in Virginia, but board rules are pending.
Virginia enacted CAA licensure in 2025 (SB 882). However, the Board of Medicine is still finalizing administrative rules (18VAC85-180), so licensing applications have not yet opened. CAAs cannot legally practice in Virginia until the board regulations are published and operational.
Where CAAs can practice nearby
Licensure is enacted in Virginia but not yet operational; CAAs can practice today in 4 of its 6 neighboring states.
CAA Programs in Virginia
1 campus offers CAA master's training in Virginia.
Bluefield University at VCOM — Virginia (Blacksburg)
Blacksburg, Virginia
- Degree & Length
- MHS in Anesthesia (MHSA, planned) · 28 mo
- CASAA Deadline
- Not yet posted
- Tuition
- Not published
- Admissions Tests
- Program-wide MHSA policy: GRE/MCAT not required. Blacksburg has not published campus-specific admissions requirements.
Need to compare required biology, chemistry, and physics coursework across programs?
Open Prerequisites Matrix →Supervision & Practice Authority in Virginia
Supervision Requirements
State law requires CAAs to practice within the scope of their clinical training and under the supervision of a licensed anesthesiologist. The statute sets no ratio; detailed supervision rules will come from the Board of Medicine's rulemaking.
State Context & Regulatory Notes
As of September 2026 the Board of Medicine's rulemaking, titled Licensure of Anesthesiologist Assistants, was still at the initial (NOIRA) stage under Governor's-office review, and the Board's forms page lists no AA application, so licenses are not yet being issued. Once licensing opens, the statute provides provisional licensure for new graduates awaiting the NCCAA exam and an exemption for students in training. The 2026 General Assembly produced no further AA legislation.
Statutory Summary
- Legal Authority
- Va. Code § 54.1-2957.23
- Effective
- 2025
- Practice Mechanism
- Enacted — rules pending
Legislative Activity in Virginia
1 bill on record (1 enacted). Enacted and failed bills stay listed as history.
Anesthesiologist assistants; establishes criteria for licensure
Enacted — 2025 Acts of Assembly Chapter 507
Last action: Approved by Governor March 24, 2025 (Chapter 507); statute effective July 1, 2025; Board of Medicine rulemaking (18VAC85-180) still pending
Sources
- Va. Code § 54.1-2957.23 — Licensure of anesthesiologist assistants
- Virginia Regulatory Town Hall — 18VAC85-180 (Regulations Governing the Practice of Anesthesiologist Assistants)
- Virginia Board of Medicine — Application Instructions and Forms (no AA application listed)
- ASA news release: CAAs authorized to practice in Virginia (Mar 2025)