What’s New (Updated November 2024)
Beginning in 2025, the CEIP activity will require ODS-certified professionals to earn a minimum of eight CE credits of in-person education over four years. The eight CEIP credits are included in the standard 20 CE credits and can be earned across two, two-year CE cycles (i.e. within a four-year window).
Eligible CEIP education must be NCRA Program Recognition approved and can be satisfied with in-person continuing education delivered at a national, regional, state, or local educational event. CEIP does not require that one attends NCRA’s Annual Educational Conference. The CEIP requirement applies to those living within any of the 50 United States, Washington, D.C., and Canada. For now, the requirement excludes those living within U.S. territories or other international locations. Medical and caregiver exemptions to the CEIP requirement are allowed.
CEIP Rationale
NCRA’s Council on Certification is implementing a Continuing Education In-Person (CEIP) requirement to ensure ODS-certified cancer registry professionals attend valuable in-person training and can network with other registrars, oncologists, standard setters, national partners, and medical and health professionals. Unlike virtual learning, in-person education provides substantial opportunities for collaboration, sharing of best practices and lessons learned, identifying mentors, and building a professional network to advance one’s career. The CEIP requirement will also help to combat professional isolation brought on by remote work environments. In addition, this in-person requirement is an opportunity to work with and encourage your facility or employer, local/state cancer registry associations, or central registry to develop and implement in-person training. One can also leverage this requirement with their employer to show the importance of maintaining the ODS credential and secure the funding needed to attend in-person education. NCRA knows that many registrars prefer virtual learning. That is why we continue to offer the annual conference as a hybrid event, even as many national associations are choosing to only offer in-person conference attendance. The CEIP requirement does not negate the importance of virtual learning; it serves to acknowledge and support the importance of human interaction and connection in the development of one’s career. It is a strong possibility that without this in-person CE requirement, a new ODS-certified registrar could begin working remotely and never see another registrar throughout their career. NCRA, the Council on Certification, and the NCRA Board of Directors do not believe this is a positive trend for the profession.
CEIP Basics
UPDATED FAQs
Q. Why is NCRA requiring members to participate in the CEIP requirement? A. To clarify, the CEIP requirement is tied to the maintenance of the ODS credential, not NCRA membership. One does not need to be an NCRA member to be a credential holder, and one does not need to be a credential holder to be a member. With that the NCRA certifying body, the Council on Certification, serves to create and maintain credentialing processes whereby the public can be assured that individuals certified by NCRA have demonstrated the knowledge needed for competent provision of accurate information for cancer surveillance and research activities. Given this role, the Council regularly updates and publishes modifications in support of its responsibility to define the qualifications of those individuals requesting, and maintaining, certification as Oncology Data Specialists. The Council agreed that the CEIP requirement was important per the reasons noted above under “CEIP Rationale.”
Q: Were NCRA members’ opinions considered as part of this change? A: Actually, both members and credential holders were included in an NCRA conducted survey on remote working over a three-week period in February and March 2023 advertised via The Update, NCRA’s e-newsletter that is sent every other Thursday at 3:00 PM ET. NCRA learned that registrars appreciate the work-life benefits of remote work, but they lament the isolation and lack of in-person interaction. Many respondents believe being remote makes the registry “out of sight, out of mind,” which negatively impacts individual registrar’s career growth and the registry’s status within the facility. The recent NCRA Strategic Management Plan survey confirmed this feedback.
Q: Other allied health professionals do not have this in-person CE requirement. Why do registrars? A: NCRA’s Council on Certification understands that other allied health professionals, such as doctors and nurses, are not required to earn CEs in person, but the nature of their work fosters in-person peer interaction. Remote work environments are limited in this regard. We also know that other allied health professional organizations, such as the American College of Healthcare Executives’ FACHE credential has a similar certification maintenance in-person continuing education requirement.
Q. If a group of ODS-credentialed professionals gather in person to participate in an educational event where the presenter is speaking live but from a remote location, does this scenario meet the CEIP requirement? A. Yes. An interactive in-person educational event that includes registrars gathering in-person to learn from real-time, live remote presenter(s) could meet the requirement. The educational event would need NCRA Program Recognition approval as a CEIP event. An updated Program Recognition application, outlining more details on this scenario, will be available in January 2025.
Q. If a group of ODS-credentialed professionals gather in person to watch a recorded presentation, does this scenario meet the CEIP requirement? A. No. Watching recorded webinars or presentations will not meet the CEIP requirement.
Q: Can in-person attendance at an educational event prior to 2025 be used to comply with the CEIP requirement? A: During this implementation phase, those who attended NCRA Program Recognition approved in-person education in 2024 can apply that in-person attendance to their 2025-2028 CEIP cycle. Look for future communication from NCRA staff on how to submit those 2024 in-person hours. Further, those who attend NCRA Program Recognition approved in-person education in 2025 can apply that in-person attendance to the 2026-2029 CEIP cycle. A specific email will be sent to all ODS credential holders detailing their CEIP cycle submission instructions.
Q: How does one request a medical/disability exemption? How long does it last? A: You can request the medical/disability exemption form at the start of your CEIP cycle. A completed Medical Exemption form will be required for each CEIP cycle. More details on this exemption will be provided in January 2025.
Q: Do I need to disclose the medical condition or disability that prevents me from meeting the CEIP requirement? A: No. The Medical Exemption form does NOT ask that the medical diagnosis or disability be disclosed to NCRA.
Q: How does one request a caregiver exemption? How long does it last? A: Yes. Along with the medical exemption, a caregiver exemption will be available. More details on this exemption will be provided in January 2025.
Q: Does the four-year CEIP requirement impact the traditional two-year CE Submission cycle? A: No, the standard two-year CE Submission cycle remains. Your CEIP credits will be due every four years.
Q: Are Category A credits still required? A: Yes. Category A credits are still required and are to be submitted in your two-year CE cycle. There will also be instances where one could earn both Category A and CEIP credits during the same educational event. Beginning in January 2025, a listing of NCRA Program Recognition approved educational opportunities will note Category A and CEIP eligible events.
Q: How do I prove attendance at a CEIP event? A: Make sure to obtain a Certificate of Attendance from the CEIP event. This is no different than the normal practice to document CE attendance. The event organizer must provide a Certificate of Attendance for approved events and that Certificate must include an NCRA Program Recognition number, which will note if the event has been CEIP approved.
Q: Will NCRA send reminders on the CEIP requirement? A: Yes. NCRA will send reminders regarding your CEIP requirement in years two and three of the four-year cycle, and in June of the fourth year.
Q: What are the consequences of not meeting the CEIP requirement? A: Like all other requirements needed to maintain one’s ODS certification, non-compliance can result in revocation. Currently ODS-Certified Q: What if I have other questions or concerns about the in-person CE requirement? A: Please email ce@ncra-usa.org.
CEIP Scenarios
Cancer registrars are data information specialists who capture a complete history, diagnosis, treatment, and health status for every cancer patient in the U.S. The curated data provides essential information to researchers, healthcare providers, and public health officials to better monitor and advance cancer treatments, conduct research, and improve cancer prevention and screening programs. Learn more about how to become a cancer registrar and how cancer registry data is used to improve public health.
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