Continuing Education for MB ASCP Professionals: Success Path
The ASCP BOC establishes an ample setup of continuing education for MB ASCP professionals to sharpen their skills. Participation in the ASCP continuing education program is also essential to maintain credential.
Watch: Continuing Education for MB ASCP Professionals Video
Here is a mini video explaining “Continuing Education for MB ASCP Professionals”; what it is, who it’s for, & why it is important.
What is Continuing Education for MB ASCP Professionals?
Every three years, the ASCP-certified professionals renew their licenses by participating in the ASCP CMP (Credential Maintenance Program).
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This program is famous by many names, like continuing education, ASCP recertification program, and ASCP renewal program.
Why Continuing Education is Important for MB ASCP Professionals?
- Maintain certificate
- Help professionals stay current with the latest technologies and research findings in the field
- Meet licensure and institutional requirements (many labs and research centers demand lab professionals to meet their internal standards by participating in continuing education programs to join their workplace)
- Lead to new opportunities for career advancement and career development, including job satisfaction and leadership roles.
What are the Options for Continuing Education for MB (ASCP) Lab Professionals?
The following are a few options for continuing education for MB ASCP professionals to get credits:
- ASCP recredential management subscription
- Resident question bank
- Case report
- Inside the Lab Podcast
- Patient safety
- LabQ
- CE packages
- ASCP membership program
- ASCP live events
- Serve on an ASCP committee and a product committee
- Offer presentations at ASCP workshops
- Write articles for Laboratory Medicine
Along with all these, you can get points from non-ASCP resources.
The following are a couple of sources recommended by the ASCP to purchase the continuing education points:
- AMA (American Medical Association)
- ASH (American Society of Cytopathology)
- CAP (College of American Pathologists)
- CSMLS (Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science)
- NSH (National Society for Histotechnology)
How Many CE Credits Do MB (ASCP) Professionals Need?
36 CE (continuing education) credits are the requirements of the ASCP CMP program that you have to earn during the time frame of three years.
| Breakdown of CE Points of Continuing Education for MB ASCP Professionals | |
| Areas of getting CE Credits | Point Distribution |
| Molecular biology | 8 |
| Lab/patient safety (quality assurance, quality control, etc.) | 1 |
| Medical ethics (IRB, compliance, sexual harassment/microaggressions, HIPAA, confidentiality, and DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) | 1 |
| Laboratory specialty, education, management, or other relevant lab areas of interest | 26 |
How to Choose the Best Continuing Education Resource?
To approach the best continuing education program, you must keep two factors in mind
- Requirements (for instance, you require a 1 point in patient safety, then you must attend the “ASCP Patient Safety Program” to allocate points into your ASCP transcript
- Free or low-cost resource (For example, “Inside the Lab Podcast” program gives credits free of cost, and “ASCP CE Packages” provide you the points at a very low price.
- ASCP memberships, annual meetings, and serving on the ASCP committee are the best opportunities to get involved.
Challenge MB ASCP Professional Face with Continuing Education and How to Overcome Them?
- Due to a busy life, finding time for continuing education may be difficult, or it may slip from your mind, so make sure to set alarms for all activities of getting CE points.
- Some CE programs can be expensive, that’s why ASCP allowed you to get points from anywhere where you can find them in an affordable range.
Final Thought
Continuing education for MB ASCP professionals' program is not optional; it is necessary.
Therefore, you must be serious about it from the beginning of your active period.
Attend the ASCP continuing education programs, live events, and get benefits from all activities that offer you credits for free.
Abdelhalim Elshawadfy is an ASCP certified Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS ASCP), Specialist in Microbiology (SM ASCP), and Molecular Biology Technologist (MB ASCP) with a distinguished career marked by expertise, continuous learning, and a commitment to elevating the standards of clinical laboratory science. As an ASCP Certification Expert and American Board Certification Expert, Abdelhalim Elshawadfy continues to make invaluable contributions to the field, leaving a lasting impact on the medical community.
