ASCP BOC

September/October 2019

 

2020 Program Performance Report (PPR) Invoices sent October 8th*

Emails with a link to access the 2020 Program Performance Report (PPR) invoices were sent to all program directors of NAACLS, CAAHEP, and ABHES accredited/approved programs, as well as BOC recognized structured phlebotomy and MLA training programs, on Oct. 8, 2019. The invoice amount is $150 per program and covers the period of Jan. 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020. Payment instructions are included on the invoice.

Instructions for Electronic Payments
If your Accounts Payable Department will be submitting payment electronically, please work with your colleagues to ensure that the order number is included with the electronic payment. To help ensure that your payment is applied to the correct order, please email PDInfo@ascp.org and provide the date the electronic payment was sent, the name that appears as the sender, tracking details, and any other identifying information. Not following these procedures may result in significant processing delays, during which time you will not have access to PPR data.

If you would like a receipt to confirm payment, please send your request to PDInfo@ascp.org; a receipt will be emailed to you within 3-5 business days.

Please note that your PPR invoice must be paid by Jan. 1, 2020, to access data for previous years. If you have any questions, please contact us at PDInfo@ascp.org.

 

Update from the Board of Governors Meeting

The Board of Certification Board of Governors met in Phoenix, AZ on September 14 - 15. Editorial changes, to simplify and clarify language and for consistency, were made to many eligibility routes. There was nothing about the meaning of the routes themselves that changed; updated eligibilities can be found on the website November 1st. www.ascp.org/certification

In addition, three new routes were added. For both the U.S. and International Histotechnologist, a route was added that allows for someone with HT(ASCP) or HT(ASCPi) certification and experience to be eligible to sit for the exam. As well, a route was added for the Medical Laboratory Scientist, MLS(ASCP) allowing for members of the military to sit for the exam. These routes will be available for application November 1, 2019. www.ascp.org/certification

 

Revised Examination Content Guidelines

Examination Content Guidelines for the CT/SCT, HT/HTL, H/SH, and QLS exams administered beginning Jan. 1, 2020, have been revised. The revised content guidelines are currently available on the Get Credentialed page of the BOC website.

 

Change in Program Director or Program Information

Please be sure to notify the BOC office at PDInfo@ascp.org if there has been or will soon be a change in program director. Please also let us know if any of your program information changes such as email address, program status, name of institution, or mailing address. For program directors from international countries for ASCPi certification, please notify Angela Sreckovic at Angela.Sreckovic@ascp.org.

 

Reviewing the Online Application

If you would like to review the online application to better answer questions from your students, you may apply online using your own ASCP log in. You may take screen shots of the individual screens to share with students. When you complete the application, it will remain in your record for future reference; it will not be a completed application as long as payment is not submitted.

 

Survey on Student Scheduling of Exams at PearsonVUE* - 2019

While at the Clinical Laboratory Educator's Conference (CLEC) in Baltimore, there was some feedback that students were having difficulty scheduling their exam on their preferred date and/or at a preferred Pearson site. We take your input seriously and have been in conversations with PearsonVUE about this topic. We are also creating a survey in order to best address this issue. Please be on the lookout for an email in the next few months and help us gather data by completing the short survey.

Please be advised that if examinees call immediately upon receiving their Admission Notification they should expect to schedule an exam date within 30 days of the beginning of their eligibility window.

 

Posting of Certificates on Social Media

Please inform your students not to post images of their wall certificates or ASCP BOC documentation on social media. While we appreciate their enthusiasm and pride in becoming certified, these images can be used by unscrupulous individuals to misrepresent themselves as being certified. To protect the integrity of ASCP BOC credentials and records, and for patient safety and welfare, it is important for individuals to protect their certificates from misuse. Please share the following with your students:

  • Do not share your wall certificate, score report, or ASCP Member ID card (if applicable) with anyone
  • Do not post a copy or image of your wall certificate, score report, or ASCP Member ID card (if applicable) on the Internet or social media.

For complete information, please visit our website.

 

BOC Examination Questions - Copyright and Ethics Violations

ASCP Board of Certification examinations are protected by copyright law. When your students apply for certification, they agree to adhere to the following statement stating, in part:

"I understand that this examination and all test questions are the exclusive property of the Board of Certification and are protected by copyright law. Because of the confidential nature of these copyright materials, I agree not to retain, copy, disclose or reveal any part of these examination materials . . ."

The ASCP BOC monitors the web and social media sites regularly for individuals or groups who claim to have questions from BOC examinations. These are sometimes called "recalls," "remembrances" or "brain dumps." Individuals who contribute to these sites, or share examination items in any manner, are infringing on BOC's exclusive copyrights.

Be aware that students who reveal specific information from the examination, such as recalled examination questions and responses, with their peers and instructors are committing copyright infringement. If BOC certificants are found to be in violation, their certification will be revoked; all individuals found to be in violation will be barred permanently from taking any BOC examination.

 

Integrity Pledges

Please remind your students not to share information from the examination with anyone. Several program directors have instituted Integrity Pledges that students sign which explicitly state that sharing of exam content is an Ethical Violation. Thank you to the following Program Directors for sharing their forms.

Notice Regarding National Credentialing Exam Integrity Diane Davis, PhD, MLS(ASCP)CMSCCM,SLSCM, Salisbury University

ASCP Examination Integrity Pledge Kathleen Finnegan, MS, MT(ASCP)SHCM, Stony Brook University

National Certification Examination Integrity Form Jerry Santiago, PhD, HTL(ASCP)QIHCCM, Florida State College at Jacksonville

 

Structured Training Programs in Blood Banking, Chemistry, Hematology, and Microbiology

Do you have a NAACLS accredited Medical Laboratory Science training program? If so, have you ever considered offering a separate structured program in a single categorical area for students who may not have the time or money to complete a full MLS program? Individuals who complete structured training programs in a single area under the auspices of a NAACLS accredited MLS program, with the requisite academic education, qualify for a technologist examination in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, or microbiology under Route 3. See detailed information on the structured program requirements.

 

Applying for a BOC Certification Exam – How and When to Apply

Students should apply for an ASCP BOC certification exam no more than six weeks before program completion. Please make sure that your students know the following information that they will need to complete the online application:

  • The correct date of their program completion; this is not necessarily the same as their graduation date
  • The correct name of their NAACLS/CAAHEP/ABHES program; this may be different than their clinical site. Students must choose their program from the accredited program lookup. Students should not manually enter their program information as they will not be connected to your program and you will not see them on the EEV or PPR.

If your program's name is not included on the drop-down menu, please contact us at PDInfo@ascp.org.

Applications are processed on a continual basis, and application processing time is up to 45 business days. Have students watch the application video, available here: www.ascp.org/boc/certification

 

Exam Eligibility Verification (EEV)*

Program directors can log in using their individual ASCP login at any time to view the current exam eligibility verification (EEV) report and sign off on the eligibility status of their students. Program directors are encouraged to wait to sign off on a student's eligibility on the EEV until they are sure students will successfully complete all components of the program by the date indicated.

Please review the EEV Report for each of your students to be sure the following information is accurate:

  • student's full name
  • certification category
  • date of program completion

If you have multiple programs at one institution, please check the students' examination category noted on the EEV to be sure you are signing off on the correct students' eligibility.

Please note: If the program end date entered by the student is within a week after their actual program completion date, it does not need to be updated. Updating a program end date can add up to a week to the processing time of the application, so please be sure that your students are aware of their correct program end date.

Students' 90-day window in which to schedule their exam begins after program completion is verified through the EEV. There is a helpful timeline in the Program Director's Guide to Certification, pages 26-27.

 

Mailing Documentation Forms and Payment*

We understand that some programs pay the application fee for multiple students at one time. For complete information, see the Program Director's section of the website. Payment information, invoices, and checks, should be mailed to:

ASCP Board of Certification
3462 Eagle Way
Chicago, IL 60678

All documentation forms submitted as verification of an applicant's training or work experience must be mailed to the ASCP BOC office through regular mail:

ASCP Board of Certification
33 West Monroe St., Suite 1600
Chicago, IL 60603

Documentation forms that are sent along with payment information to the Eagle Way address will not be forwarded to the ASCP BOC office. For complete information regarding documentation, see our website.

 

Official Transcripts*

If a degree is required to meet the eligibility requirements, please remind your students to request that an official college/university transcript be mailed to the ASCP BOC office. This official transcript is required before examination scores are made available. Students should allow at least 10 business days after the BOC office has received the transcript for their examination scores to be released. Please view additional information under "Official Transcript."

 

Program Directors Group on Facebook

If you haven't already, please join the ASCP BOC Program Director's Group on Facebook. The group is for directors of NAACLS, CAAHEP, and ABHES-accredited or approved laboratory programs, as well as education and clinical coordinators and faculty, whose students seek ASCP BOC certification. Supported by volunteers with several years of program experience, the group aims to become the program director's resource for information and support.

 

Certification Exam Committees and Qualification Work Groups

All BOC Examination Committees and Work Groups consist of laboratory professionals representing broad geographic regions of the United States and laboratory facilities of various types and sizes. They are responsible for the development, maintenance, and evaluation of exam items, as well as setting the standards for exams and performing job task analysis. To review the current Exam Committee and Work Group openings and submit an application, please visit the BOC Volunteer page.

 

FYI -

Access to Program Performance Reports (PPR) for Faculty*

If there is someone other than the Program Director who should also have access to the PPR information, please email PDInfo@ascp.org with the name of the institution, school code, and name and email address of individuals who should be added. Please note that the Program Director will remain the only person able to access the EEV (Exam Eligibility Verification) to verify students' completion of the program.

 

Important Information for Students in California and New York

Please ensure that your students become certified and complete the examination for state licensure by applying for certification and licensure on the online application. If students apply for licensure only, they will be required to reapply for certification and take the certification examination. By applying for and taking the certification examination, their examination scores are acceptable for licensure in California and New York. All other state licensure requirements must be met to obtain state licensure. For additional information, see the CA and NY NAACLS student information form. For complete information, please visit our website: State Licensure.

 

Understanding ASCP BOC Certification Examinations

Brief explanations on a variety of topics related to the BOC certification examinations are available at Understanding ASCP BOC Certification Examinations.

 

Do You Have Students Missing From Your PPR or EEV Reports?*

When your students complete the online application, please remind them to use the drop-down list of programs to select the program they completed. Some schools have programs in multiple cities or states. Please advise your students to make sure they choose the correct program in the correct location. Students should not enter the name of the program manually as the school name will not be recognized, and these students' names will not appear on your PPR or EEV reports. If your program is not listed, please let us know immediately by contacting us at PDInfo@ascp.org.

 

Applicants Requesting Modifications Due to a Disability

If any of your students require a modification due to a disability, your students must notify our office in writing at the time of application. Complete information is available on our website.

 

User's Guide for Program Performance Reports*

The User's Guide for Program Performance Reports (PPR's) is just one of the items that you can find on the BOC Program Director's section of the BOC website. Review it for the most current information on accessing and using the PPR's to your program's best advantage.

 

How to Locate Your Certification Number

If you need to locate your certification number, you may access it by logging into your ASCP account and clicking on "Home Page" under "My BOC Activities." Then click on the "View Certifications" link.

If you require primary source verification of your certification, you can place an order through our website at Verification of Certification. There is a $16 charge for this service.

 

*UNITED STATES ONLY

 

Board of Certification Contacts:

Please contact the following individuals if you have questions or concerns regarding:

U.S. application processing

Angela Nunn at Angela.Nunn@ascp.org

Program Director inquiries (U.S. only)

PDInfo@ascp.org

International certification

Angela Sreckovic at Angela.Sreckovic@ascp.org

Share eLinks
Feel free to forward eLinks to Education Coordinators or other program officials who might benefit from the information included in this Newsletter.

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Questions or Comments?
If you have any questions or comments on the information contained in this issue, please email us at PDInfo@ascp.org. We look forward to hearing from you.