Free ASCP CE Credits: Maximize ASCP Renewal with Free Services

To meet your recertification requirements, you need CE (Continuing Education) credits. The ASCP BOC suggests many free and paid programs that offer CE credits.

Here is how you can earn free ASCP CE credits.

• Get ASCP online courses that are free of charge but you get CE credit as well, like “Inside LabPodcast.”
• Attend the ASCP annual meeting
• Authoring in ASCP publications
• Attend the ASCP live webinar
• Become a member of ASCP, which helps you get credit-offering courses at discounted rates or free of charge.
• Get your free credits from a reputable authority like ARUP Laboratory.

The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC) presents continuing education for lab professionals that polishes their knowledge and keeps them up-to-date.

Besides this, continuing education resources offer CE credits that meet your Credential Maintenance Program (CMP) prerequisites.

Getting CE credit is a very vital process for medical laboratory professionals to make their ASCP renewal successful.

You must utilize all the resources that offer your CE credit at low cost or free CE opportunities to minimize your education expenses.

In this article, we will explain how you can earn free ASCP CE credits and the best source that offers you free credits to meet your education, certification, and institutional CE requirements.

Understanding the ASCP CE Credits

The ASCP BOC offers certification in all fields of lab medicine and pathology.

But these certifications are valid only for three years.

After three years of getting the ASCP certification, you have to participate in CMP ASCP, which updates your credentials for the upcoming three years.

You have to get CE credits with your practice during this period.

You have to earn specific credit for each of your certifications.

For instance, if you have an MLS ASCP (Medical Lab Scientist) credential, you have to earn 36 points.

• 2 points in each, including blood banking, chemistry, hematology, and microbiology (2×4= 8).
• Laboratory or patent safety (i.e., quality assurance, quality control): 1 point
• Medical Ethics (compliance, sexual harassment, DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion), IRB, confidentiality, etc.): 1 point
• Molecular diagnostics, management, lab specialty, or other lab operation: 26 points.

Benefits of Free ASCP CE Credits

• Fulfill your institutional, certification, and recertification continuing education units (CEUs) requirements.
• Free credits save a lot of money as compared to purchasing an expensive one.
• To get credit, you must attend an annual meeting that is enough for your professional development and increase your area of network
• ASCP publication is also a great opportunity to earn free ASCP CE credits that keep you in touch with the latest news in your field.
• You can also get free credit to become an ASCP member, the membership program comes with incredible advantages.

Top Source of Free ASCP CE Credits

You can get free ASCP CE credits from the ASCP website and also from other sources.

Free Education Unit from ASCP

The ASCP offers you many opportunities to earn free credits, such as:

Inside the Lab Podcast

• It focuses on current topics related to pathologists and lab professionals.
• It comprises 4 episodes, and you will get 1 credit per episode for free.

ASCP Annual Meeting

• The ASCP annual meeting is a large gathering of lab professionals from the entire world; there are big odds of getting experience from experts.
• You will get continuing education credits by attending the annual meeting
• Make sure to attend the ASCP seminar, you will get one credit per seminar.

ASCP Publication

Participation in ASCP publications offers you a lot of with free CE credits.

You must participate in the following publications to get free credits.

• ASCP case reports
• American Journal of Clinical Pathology
• Laboratory Medicine
• Critical Value

Join ASCP Committee

You must join the ASCP committee for free credits.

ASCP communities are:

• Governance and Member Councils
• ASCP Product Development
• Social media Team
• BOC Exam Committee

Serves ASCP Communities

If you serve the ASCP communities, you will get continuing education credits.

You must be part of the following programs to serve ASCP communities:

• Center for Global Health
• Career Ambassador 2.0
• Patient Champion
• Partners for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in  Africa

Free ASCP CE Credits from Other Sources

The ASCP also allows you to earn continuing education credits from other sources.

CAP Website

• The CAP (College of American Pathologists) offers you many free courses for your continuing education that deliver CE credits.
• Besides this, if you do blood banking TechChecks or CAP surveys, you will also receive credits.

ARUP Laboratories

ARUP (Associated Regional and University Pathologists) Laboratories offer you many resources that support you in getting free credits.

• Continuing Education Courses: If you complete the ARUP continuing education courses, you will get free credits.
• Webinars: ARUP webinars also offer you free continuing education credits.
• Video Lectures: If you get and complete the ARUP video lectures, you will receive continuing education units.

Immucor Website

This website also works to meet your CE credits with its association programs.

Immucor Webinars

• Immucor webinar offers free credits to its attendees
• You will also receive credit after completing its continuing education courses.

How to Earn the Free ASCP CE Credits Online?

To get free ASCP CE credits online, you need to follow the below instructions.

• Create an Account on the ASCP website
• Enter all the information that is required to fill out the form
• After creating an account, the ASCP dashboard page opens in front of you.
• Under all ASCP activities, including “Certification Programs,” “Live Events,” “Learning,” etc., click on “Learning.”
• Here you will see all the ASCP online education courses
• Check all and determine their price
• Choose free courses like “Inside the LabPodcast.”
• Press the button “Access Episode,”
• After this, you need to click on “Listen Now.”
• After completion, click on the “Claims Credit” option

Maximizing your Learning with Free CE Opportunities

The ASCP Board of Certification determines many learning opportunities for you to boost your career.

Always choose the right approach that meets your ASCP CE requirements.

Choose the Right Course

You must determine your requirements before purchasing any course.

For instance, if you are struggling to get the MLS ASCP certification, you must take the MLS online review course.

To minimize its cost, you must become an ASCP member.

Furthermore, if you want to track current topics in your field, you must get the “Inside the Lab Podcast.” It is free.

ASCP Live Events

You must attend ASCP live events that nevigate a major part of your learning.

• ASCP Session: Cover the specific topics related to your field
• ASCP Webinar: Cover current topics and introduce you to the latest learning
• ASCP Annual Meeting: Offer valuable information related to lab medicine and pathology.

ASCP Groups

You must join the ASCP group to maximize your continuing education.

In groups, you will meet with the field experts who offer your best advice about choosing the right source for CE.

Following are the ASCP groups

• ASCP Certification Prep (MLSIAcademy.com group)
• ASCP Center for Global
• ASCP Pathology Ambassadors
• ASCP Immunology
• ASCP Career Ambassadors 2.0
• ASCP BOC Program Directors
• ASCP BOC International

ASCP Membership

The ASCP membership is the best source to get high-quality education for free or at a low cost.

Benefits of ASCP membership:

• Minimize your education cost by offering scholarships and awards
• Offer you easy access to ASCP publication
• Meet your recertification requirements by offering continuing education credits
• Offer you various career-changing opportunities

ASCP CE Tracking and Compliance

The ASCP Board of Certification has made the CE credit tracking and inserting process very easy by offering tools to manage all.

You can handle all processes with the “My Account Dashboard” tool.

Process to Record the ASCP CE Credits

• Login to the ASCP account
• Click “Check Progress” within “My Education” to see your ASCP CE credits.
• The continuing education units that you receive from ASCP will enter the ASCP prospect automatically.
• Check carefully the credit details and determine the area in which you need to earn credits

Method to Record Non-ASCP CE Credits

• Open your ASCP account
• Within “My Education,” press the button “Check Progress.”
• You have to enter the non-ASCP credits manually, so click the option of “CMP Credits and Progress” and then open “Add non-ASCP CE Credits.”
• You have to enter some information, including date, types, titles, and credit awarded, to add non-ASCP credits.
• To see the credits for your specific area, you can use the drop-down menu.

Final Verdict for Free ASCP CE Credits

The ASCP BOC understands its professional education requirements, therefore, it presents them with free credits for their convenience.

The ASCP provides some free education courses that offer participants free credits to meet their recertification prerequisites.

Besides this, the ASCP annual meeting and live webinar also send credits to professional Ascp prospects who attend the live events.

ASCP membership also provides you with free continuing education units.

Furthermore, the Board of Certification also permits you to get CE credits from other sources, like the CAP website and ARUP Laboratories.

FAQs for Free ASCP CE Credits