**New beginning with 12/31/2027 submissions: The maximum number of ‘Other’ non-NCRA approved CE credits allowed per 2-year CE cycle is 5 CE credits.

To be eligible for CE credit allocation, an educational program or offering must:

• be cancer registry-related, and
• present materials beyond the level required for certification of a Cancer Registrar.

To qualify for CE credits, educational activities must improve or expand the existing base of knowledge or skills of the ODS-certified individual. Included in the definition of eligible activities are:

• Educational programs which have been recognized by NCRA’s Program Recognition Committee. Please note: the total CE credits awarded to programs by NCRA’s Program Recognition Committee are subject to individual CE credit limitations as stated below.
• Other registry or oncology related programs, workshops, seminars, conferences, and video- teleconference group seminars, or institutes which contribute to the continuing education of ODS-certified individuals. 

Click here to view the CE Eligible Activities – applicable through 12/31/2026 CE Credit Submissions 

Click here to view the revised CE Eligible Activities -  beginning with 12/37/2027 CE Credit Submissions 

**New beginning with 12/31/2027 submissions: The maximum number of ‘Other’ non-NCRA approved CE credits allowed per 2-year CE cycle is 5 CE credits.

"Category A" CE Requirement
ODS-certified professionals must report at least 4 CE credits that fall within "Category A", which covers the specific topic(s) of: directly assigned stage and/or site-specific coding principles. The goal of this continuing education requirement is to ensure ODS-certified professionals are staying current on these ever-changing topic areas.

*Directly assigned stage topics include: SEER Summary Stage, Extent of Disease, AJCC Clinical and Pathologic TNM Staging 
*A minimum of twenty (20) CE credits are still required to properly maintain the ODS credential; the 4 Category A CE credits are a required subset of submitted CE totals for a given CE Cycle.

*Submitting completion of Category A CE credits will be similar to current reporting of CE credits. Be prepared to list the specific training(s) &/or course(s) 
*Category A CE requirement was implemented in 2017 and will remain in effect for all future CE Cycles.

*If the required Category A CE credits are not submitted, a 45-day extension will be provided to correct this deficiency.  Not fulfilling the Category A requirement after the 45-day time period would be grounds for disapproval of certification maintenance.

Learn more about Category A.

CE Credit Allocation
In calculating CE credit allocations, credit will be awarded to the completed quarter-hour. After the first 30 minutes, submitters may claim quarter-hour (15 minutes) increments for CE credits.
EXAMPLE: 45 minutes = 0.75 CE credits; 1 hour: 15 minutes = 1.25 CE credits.
You are responsible to properly credit attended sessions per the actual amount of time elapsed, so a 2 hour 25-minute session accounts as a 2:15 session = 2.25 CE credits, *NOT* 2.5 CEs credits.

Continuing Education In-Person (CEIP) Basics 

• ODS-certified professionals must earn a minimum of eight (8) continuing education (CE) credits for in-person education every four years. The CEIP credits can be earned across two CE submission cycles, i.e., within a four-year cycle. (This is equivalent to one, eight-hour workday every four years.) Note: Virtually attending an in-person event or conference does not qualify.  
• The CEIP requirement begins for cancer registry professionals who hold an active ODS credential in 2025, including those who first earn the credential in 2025. 
• CEIP education must be NCRA Program Recognition approved and be attended in person.  
• The hours to meet this requirement can be satisfied through in-person education delivered by your facility or employer, regional or state association, central registry, or national partners.  

    Examples include, but are not limited to: 

• A facility or contracting company offering in-person training or educational events. 
• Local hospital cancer foundation educational events 
• A central registry offering in-person training or educational events.  
• Regional and state association in-person conferences.  
• In-person attendance at CoC, CDC-NPCR, NAACCR, NCI-SEER, and/or NCRA conferences and workshops. 

• NCRA will indicate CEIP approval on its listing of NCRA Approved Education.

Ineligible Activities
Some examples of programs which are ineligible for CE credits include the following. 

1. Related educational activities which do not exceed the level tested for certification of the registrar. These may include introductory programs in registry organization, ICD-O coding, abstracting, collaborative staging, or medical terminology. Use of the wording BASIC, INTRODUCTORY, or FUNDAMENTAL should alert the participant that the program may be ineligible for CE credit.
2. College, university, and correspondence credit courses for topics/subjects which are not relevant to the registry profession. Examples of these would be literature, history, physical education, arts, and crafts.
3. Preparation of papers, articles, or texts which are not published.
4. Administrative, departmental, medical staff, or related meetings which occur as part of one's employment.
5. Preparation of procedures, policies, and administrative manuals related to work or professional responsibilities.
6. Conducting, viewing, or participating in tours or exhibits.
7. Individual self-study activities including professional articles, recorded lectures, and media presentations without documentation of completion.
8. Archived educational programs published over 2 years from an individual’s CE cycle submission deadline are not eligible for CE credit. With constant updates available each year, educational programs 2+ years old would be considered outdated.