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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>62896</law_id><section_number>8.01-401.2</section_number><catch_line>Chiropractor, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse, or optometrist as expert witness</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="8.01">Civil Remedies and Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="14">Evidence</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="4">Witnesses Generally</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> A doctor of chiropractic, when properly qualified, may testify as an <span class="dictionary">expert witness</span> in a <span class="dictionary">court</span> of <span class="dictionary">law</span> as to etiology, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, treatment plan, and disability, including anatomical, physiological, and pathological considerations within the scope of the practice of chiropractic as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/54.1-2900/">54.1-2900</a>. <a id="paragraph-229453" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.01-401.2/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> A physician assistant or an advanced practice registered nurse, when properly qualified, may testify as an <span class="dictionary">expert witness</span> in a <span class="dictionary">court</span> of <span class="dictionary">law</span> as to etiology, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, treatment plan, and disability, including anatomical, physiological, and pathological considerations within the scope of his activities as authorized pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Role of patient care team physician or patient care team podiatrist on patient care teams; services that may be performed by physician assistants; responsibility of licensee; employment of physician assistants" href="/54.1-2952/">54.1-2952</a> or <a class="law" title="Licensure and practice of advanced practice registered nurses; certified nurse midwives; independent practice of certified nurse midwives" href="/54.1-2957/">54.1-2957</a>, respectively. However, no physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse shall be permitted to testify as an <span class="dictionary">expert witness</span> for or against (i) a <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine in a medical malpractice <span class="dictionary">action</span> regarding the standard of care of a doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine or (ii) a <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> health care provider in a medical malpractice <span class="dictionary">action</span> regarding causation. <a id="paragraph-229454" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.01-401.2/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> An optometrist, when properly qualified, may testify as an <span class="dictionary">expert witness</span> in a <span class="dictionary">court</span> of <span class="dictionary">law</span> as to etiology, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, treatment plan, and disability, including anatomical, physiological, and pathological considerations within the scope of the practice of optometry as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="What constitutes practice of optometry" href="/54.1-3201/">54.1-3201</a>. <a id="paragraph-229455" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.01-401.2/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1984, c. 569; 2014, cc. 361, 391; 2015, cc. 295, 306; 2017, c. 413; 2023, c. 183; 2024, cc. 718, 764.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
