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When does the Board of
Certification become effective? |
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The effective date is October 23, 2009. |
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If I’m an active certificant with NCA /BOR what do I need to do? |
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Maintain your credential or make sure your credential is active and your contact information is current. All individuals with an active credential will be transitioned over to the Board of Certification (BOC) without further requirements until recertification is due. |
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If I was not a current or "active" certificant previously with the NCA what do I need to do to get recertified? |
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If you allowed your NCA certification to lapse (i.e., become inactive) you are no longer certified and you are not certified by the ASCP BOC. However, the ASCP BOC will allow all lapsed NCA certificants to be reinstated by completing the BOC Certification Maintenance Program (CMP) and submitting the current CMP reinstatement fee as well as the CMP fee. |
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If I am not current with the organization, what do I need to do? |
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If you are not a current or active credentialed individual you will need to complete the recertification (certification maintenance) requirements and submit this information to the respective organization. Deadlines and details will be published regarding the transition. |
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What if I have already applied or my students have already applied to take an NCA examination? |
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All complete and qualified candidates who have applied and paid for an NCA examination will be tested. The final NCA application deadline was August 21, 2009. |
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What if I’m due to recertify with NCA in February 2010? |
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You have two options - you can recertify early if you have enough credits, or you can submit your recertification documentation on schedule to the Board of Certification (BOC). The BOC will honor all contact hours earned and the policies of NCA to qualify for recertification for NCA certificants who have an expiration date of February 2010. |
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What will happen if I was preparing for NCA recertification? |
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For individuals who have been preparing for recertification under the NCA recertification requirements, can apply to the ASCP BOC for recertification (CMP) and the ASCP BOC will honor the NCA recertification requirements for the NCA certificants required to recertify by August 2009 or February 2010. |
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What will happen if I was preparing to take a categorical NCA examination? |
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Individuals who had been preparing for a categorical (chemistry, hematology, immunohematology, microbiology) or PBT examination under the NCA eligibility requirements, can apply for these examinations offered by the ASCP BOC and the ASCP BOC will honor the NCA eligibility routes for one year (end date October 23, 2010). |
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Can I get a credential from the Board of Certification without taking an examination? |
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If you are not currently certified with BOR or NCA you cannot get a credential without taking an examination. This would be a violation of the certification board’s accreditation. |
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What are the examination fees for the Board of Certification? |
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The fees are business and operational decisions that as of yet have not been made. |
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What are the recertification fees for the new agency? |
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This fee is a business and operational decision that as of yet has not been made. |
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Will the recertification requirements change in any way? |
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Recertification requirements are a decision for the new Board of Certification, but as both NCA and BOR require 36 contact hours of continuing education within three years it is safe to say that initially there will be no changes in recertification requirements (see above). |
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When is the BOR accepting applications? |
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The final NCA application deadline was August 21, 2009. The BOR will continue accepting applications and all applications will transition over to the BOC after October 23, 2009. |
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In what format will the BOC exams be administered? |
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Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) |
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Will the exam questions be merged and who decides that? |
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For the exams that both organizations had in common, or duplicative, those exam pools will be merged once the combined examination committee reviews and classifies all of the items. The cytogenetics exam previously offered by the NCA is now being administered as is by the BOC. |
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What will the program/school reports look like? |
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The program reports will likely be the same reports as BOR/BOC currently distributes. NCA will work with the current BOC staff to determine the best method and process for transferring all of its student and school data over to the current system in place. |
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When will the first BOC exams be administered? |
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The BOC will begin testing on October 24th. |
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The new baccalaureate level credential, Medical Laboratory Scientist, is different from the designation conferred by my state’s licensure law. Will we need to change the law? |
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No, licensure titles do not need to match certification credentials. |
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Will my credential with the BOR or NCA still be valid? |
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If you hold an active and current credential with either organization, that credential will be transferred to the Board of Certification without having to take an examination, even if that certification is no longer being offered. |
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What happens if I am NCA certified in either the CLDir or CLSup category? |
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Individuals NCA certified in either the CLDir or CLSup category have been transferred to the category DLM(ASCP)CM. |
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If I was MT(ASCP) certified prior to 2004 and I have not participated in the CMP program, will my credential change to "MLS"? |
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You will not receive the "MLS" credential until you complete the CMP program. Individuals certified MT(ASCP) prior to 2004 who do not participate in the CMP program will retain the credential MT(ASCP). |
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Will CLS (NCA) certificants who are current with NCA be transferred to the ASCP? |
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All CLS(NCA) certificants who have an active credential with NCA will be transferred to the BOC as MLS(ASCP). Similarly, all CLT(NCA) certificants who have an active credential with NCA will be transferred to the BOC as MLT(ASCP). |
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Are certifications with ASCP and NCA considered equivalent? |
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All certifications with ASCP and NCA are recognized as equal and should be treated as such. |
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Could you please clarify what is meant by "active" or "current"? |
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A person wanting to receive certification maintenance credit needs to have, within the past 3 years, "documented" continuing education activities in medical laboratory science that can be submitted for certification maintenance through the ASCP BOC. |
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Will the recertification requirements change in any way? |
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Initially, the current recertification/certification maintenance requirements of either NCA or the BOC will be honored. The new BOC Board of Governors will make decisions about future recertification requirements. |
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Can CE credits from any organization be used to fulfill the BOC recertification credits? |
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Approved CE credits from any organization can be used to fulfill the BOC recertification (CMP) credits. |