(Updated January 2025)
NCRA is aware of unsanctioned communications about the CEIP initiative, including inaccurate information posted on Facebook pages and LinkedIn. NCRA is the only source for accurate information about the CEIP requirement. Current information can be found on this webpage. Please be sure to read below or contact NCRA directly at ce@ncra-usa.org.
NCRA has updated the FAQs below to address feedback, including the addition of Live Interactive CEIP Events, details on medical and caregiver exemptions, and the ability to apply previously attended NCRA Program Recognition pre-approved in-person education to one’s 2025-2028 or 2026-2029 CEIP cycles. These updates are noted in blue below.
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*CEIP approval is now noted on the listing of NCRA Approved Education.
CEIP Rationale NCRA’s Council on Certification implemented the Continuing Education In-Person (CEIP) requirement to ensure ODS-certified professionals attend valuable in-person training, grow from professional development, and gain the benefits of networking.
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.
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.
The in-person requirement also presents 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.
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, the Oncology Data Specialist (ODS) certification. 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: Yes. Still, there was no one solitary source of information used for the Council’s decision. The Remote Work Survey was referenced during discussions around the CEIP requirement. Through that survey 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. The FACHE credential is being provided as an example, not a comparator to the ODS credential.
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 in-person educational event that includes at least five (5) professionals gathered in person to learn from real-time, live remote presenter(s) could qualify. The educational event needs NCRA Program Recognition approval as a Live Interactive CEIP Event and requires a dedicated facilitator to manage event requirements. An example includes a group of five gathered in person to watch a live webinar or hybrid conference. A Live Interactive Meeting Application can be downloaded here.
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: As part of the implementation of the CEIP requirement, the Council on Certification is providing the following “grandfathering” option for those who previously attended NCRA Program Recognition pre-approved in-person education in 2024 or may attend NCRA Program Recognition pre-approved in-person education in 2025.
In-person attendance can be claimed from the year directly preceding the start of either the 2025-2028 or 2026-2029 CEIP cycle. During this initial CEIP implementation phase, there is an extra year included in the first CEIP cycle. All subsequent CEIP cycles will be four years. Look for future direct communications from NCRA with details on how to submit one’s 2024 or 2025 CEIP hours.
Q: How does one request a medical/disability exemption? A: Complete the CEIP Medical Exemption Form. A form is required for each CEIP cycle.
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? A: Complete the CEIP Caregiver Exemption Form. A form is required for each CEIP cycle.
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? Can one educational event meet both the Category A and CEIP requirements? 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. The listing of NCRA Program Recognition approved educational opportunities notes Category A and CEIP eligible events. Learn more.
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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