ASCP Renewal for Maintenance: Stay Updated

The ASCP renewal is the certificate maintenance program that helps professionals to stay current in the field.

To make your ASCP renewal successful:

• You need to earn continuing education credits
• After fulfilling the requirements, you have to send a CMP declaration to ASCP BOC.
• Upon successful completion of the process, you will get a notification of your certification renewal.

The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC) awards many credentials (more than 20) to the pathology and lab medicine fields.

Some fact about the ASCP certification

• All ASCP certificates are enough to sit the owner on the top seat among all peers and allow working with qualified physicians.

• All these certificates are only valid for three years after getting them; once they expire, you have no value with an expired certificate.

• The ASCP Board of Certification (BOC) established the credential renewal process that activates your credentials for the upcoming three years.

Comprehending the ASCP Renewal

The ASCP BOC added the certification renewal cycle into its profile in January 2004 and made it mandatory for all certification categories.

Here are comprehensive details about the ASCP renewal:

• Once you get the ASCP certification, the board will never leave its certified professionals.
• With numerous career development programs like ASCP renewal, it sticks with certificate holders.
• With unlimited programs like live events, memberships, and online continuing courses, the board offers CE credits to professionals who attend and complete these programs.
• The ASCP renewal application fee is $95 and it is equal to all ASCP credentials.
• You will get a special relief of $15 if you have multiple credentials with the same or within a three-month expiration date.
• $125 is a reinstatement fee  that you have to pay in case you send your CMP declaration after certification expiration.
• The ASCP BOC is going to raise its CMP fee beginning July 1, 2024, which  will be
  • $100 for all certifications (increase by $5)
  • The reinstatement fee will be $135 ( increase by $10)
  • For multiple certificates, it will rise by $5.

Why Update Your ASCP Certification is Necessary?

To touch the lab professionals with advanced technologies, there is no alternative to a Credential Maintenance Program (CMP).

Are you one of those who love technologies and want to access them with blinking? Then ASCP certification renewal process is only for you.

It bless you with following perks:

Update Skills

• The board offers many quality improvement and quality assurance programs that update your skills and meet your continuing education unit requirements.
• These programs polish your skills and make you highly recommended lab professionals.

Career Advancements

• After participating in the ASCP CMP, you will meet many opportunities that advance your career, like “Pathology Updates.”
• Many other ASCP certificate programs that are part of ASCP continuing education introduce you to the latest technologies.

Maintenance of Credentials

• With an expired certificate, you cannot perform your duty freely.
• ASCP renewal renews your certificates and you will be able to do duty in any worldwide hospital.

Cutting-edge Programs

• To meet the requirements of CMP, you have to participate in many life-changing programs that upgrade your learning and add excellence to your experience.
• The ASCP live event is a gathering of experts that blesses you with the latest technologies and enhances your insight regarding your field.

Requirements for ASCP Renewal

• You can only apply for the CMP (Credential Maintenance Program) after meeting all the criteria of the ASCP renewal process.
• The Board determines some CMP points for all certifications that are vital to meet within three years.
• 36 CMP points are the prerequisites for most of ASCP certifications, but for some, you need to get 9 CMP points.
• Lab operations, areas of specialization, medical ethics, &  patient and lab safety are targeted areas in which you need to acquire continuing education credits.

Understanding the distribution of 36 points (MLS ASCP)

• 2 points in specialization areas including chemistry, hematology, microbiology, and blood banking (2 points in each = 8 CMP points)
• 26 points in lab-related work, including management, education, molecular diagnostics, immunology, etc.
• 1 point in medical ethics (compliance, IRB, microaggressions/sexual harassment, HIPAA, confidentiality, and DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion))
• 1 point in patient safety or lab safety.

Allocation for 9 points (PBT ASCP)

• Phlebotomy: 2 points
• Lab-related works management, education, etc: 5 points
• Patient safety or laboratory: 1 point
• Medical ethics: 1 point

Step-by-Step Guide for ASCP Renewal Process

• Open your ASCP account after login
• Click the “Check Progress” option under  “My Education,” which tells you about your credential’s current status and certificate expiration date.
• Check your ASCP credits (Enter your ASCP prospect automatically) and non-ASCP credits (you have to enter them manually).
• Once you fulfill all the CMP requirements, you can submit your ASCP renewal declaration to BOC for review
• You must submit your declaration at least three months prior so that you can get time for processing.
• At the time of the audit, you must have all the original documentation that may be supportive documents.
• You will get a three-year certification renewal notification after fulfilling all the requirements and successfully completing the process.

Meeting CE (Continuing Education) Requirement

By providing incredible CE resources the board has become the gold standard for lab professionals.

Some resources the ASCP presents for continuing education and continuing credits

• ASCP Online Courses
• ASCP Certificate Programs
• ASCP Live Events
• ASCP Publication
• ASCP Membership
• Serve the Communities of ASCP
• Join the ASCP Committee
• Non-ASCP CE Providers

ASCP Online CE Courses

With more than 500 CE online courses, the ASCP has become the best CE provider among its competitors.

These courses include:

• ASCP Case Study
• ASCP Patient Safety
• ASCP LabQ and LabP
• Residents Questions Banks
• MLS Review Courses
• BOC Interactive Practice Questions
• Inside the Lab Podcast
• CE Packages
• Virtual Pathology Grand Rounds
• ASCP Virtual Town Hall Series

ASCP Certification Programs

• To keep professionals in touch with career advancement & meet their CMP points, the board also collaborates with other educational institutions.
• These institutions offer certificates and continuing education programs that are valuable and potent due to ASCP ownership.
• Some of ASCP certificate programs include Leadership Institute, Lab Management University, and University of Pathology Informatics.

ASCP Live Events

• All the ASCP live events offer you continuing education credits that meet your CMP points requirements.
• You must attend the ASCP annual meetings, ASCP webinars, conferences, seminars, roundtables, etc to maximize your credits.

ASCP Publication

• The ASCP BOC accesses its publications, which help you get the latest updates about your field.
• You can get continuing education credits by authoring ASCP publications.
• You can write journals or articles in “ Critical Value, American Journal of Clinical Pathology (AJCP) and Lab Medicine.”

ASCP Membership

• The ASCP membership presents 6 credits for your CMP (Credential Maintenance Program).
• It also reduces the cost of all other CE resources by offering membership discounts.

Work for the Community of ASCP

The one best way to earn free credits is the serve the ASCP community.

You must join the following communities:

• Choosing Wisely + ASCP
• Supporting Public Health Worldwide
• Career Ambassadors 2.0
• ASCP Patient Champions
• Choosing Wisely + ASCP

ASCP Committee

ASCP committees also present you with continuing education credits without demanding any charges.

For this, you can become the member the following committee

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

Non-ASCP CE Providers

Here are a few non-ASCP CE (Continuing Education) Providers that assist you handle your CE and CMP:

• CAP (College of American Pathologists)
• ASH (American Society of Hematology)
• CMEA (Continuing Medical Education Association)
• AMT (American Medical Technologists)
• AMA (American Medical Association)
• CACMLE (Colorado Association for Continuing Medical Laboratory Education)
• AACC “ACCENT”—American Association for Clinical Chemistry
• ASCLS PACE (American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science)
• ASH (American Society of Hematology)

Future Planning: Techniques for a Smooth Renewal

You must set an actionable plan to make your ASCP renewal successful.

• You must always remember your CMP or set reminder that remind you about it
• Make sure to check your credential’s current status and allocate the area in which you need to get credits
• Wisely choose the CE resources that help you get the targeted credits; for example, if you need credit for medical ethics, you must subscribe to the “ASCP Patient Safety” that offers you credit for medical ethics.
• Always keep an eye on ASCP updates so you can manage all properly.

Conclusion for ASCP Renewal

Never consider the ASCP renewal optional, it is compulsory.

If you do not take action on time, it expires your certificate and you cannot continue your job as ASCP certified.

Therefore, you must set a reminder to get the credit for ASCP renewal process.

Besides this, CMP introduces you to advanced technology and expands your experiences.

To get the continuing education units, you must consider the affordable resources.

ASCP free CE (continuing education) courses like “Inside the Lab Podcast” or other activities like Ascp webinars and seminars are best resources that demand for nothing to offer you CE credits.

FAQs for ASCP Renewal for Maintenance