Membership and Credentialing Committee

Charles Louis Bormann, Ph.D., HCLD(ABB), Chair

Firstly, I would like to thank the College of Reproductive Biologists (CRB) committee for electing me as the Chair of the Membership and Credentialing Committee (MCC). It is a great honor for me to serve as a representative to help promote the continuing professional development of embryologists, andrologists, and reproductive technologists in our field.

The 2015-2016 MCC board includes Tande Stenbak M.Sc., TS(ABB), Jean Popwell Ph.D., HCLD/CC(ABB), Dara Berger Ph.D., HCLD/TS(ABB), and Tien-Cheng (Arthur) Chang Ph.D., HCLD/ELD/CC(ABB). The role of the MCC is to advise the American Board of Bioanalysis (ABB), AAB Board of Registry (ABOR), and the American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB) on issues regarding certification as well as other issues important to CRB members. Although this committee does not have the power to direct AAB, ABB, or ABOR decisions, it does provide a mechanism for CRB members to present their opinions and, if needed, assistant AAB, ABB and ABOR functions. Some of the functions of this committee include CEU approval review, writing exam questions for certification examinations, and providing member involvement in examination and examination review courses. In a sense, you should consider this committee as your voice for any issues you have with the credentialing process or applying for CEU credits. 

At times, it may feel like collecting CEUs is more of an annoyance or simply an item to check off a must-do list rather than an opportunity to really strengthen or advance our knowledge within the field. This is really the wrong way to approach continuing education credits. As the field of ART continues to rapidly change, it is imperative that ART laboratory professionals remain at the forefront of these newly emerging technologies. By having a firm understanding of these advancing technologies, laboratory personnel will be in a better position to effectively evaluate, validate, and implement these services in their laboratories. 

To be sure that you will receive PEER-approved CEU credit for educational programs, attend AAB’s educational conferences and CRB symposia, regional AAB/CRB meetings, and ABB-approved educational programs. For a complete list of ABB/PEER-approved continuing education programs, including live programs, online courses and webinars, visit www.aab.org and click on Continuing Education followed by PEER-approved Educational Programs.

Unfortunately, not every laboratory has a system in place which supports the licensing of all of their laboratory technicians by certifying boards such as the ABB. This is primarily driven by budget constraints. In these cases, obtaining CEUs is not considered mandatory. However, it is still great practice to have these individuals participate in continuing education programs so that they can continue to advance their education and skill sets at the same level of their licensed peers.

For laboratory personnel that are unable to attend large conferences and/or participate in post-graduate courses, it is important to note that there are numerous opportunities for them to collect continuing education credits outside of these traditional educational activities. Some of these opportunities include the AAB/CRB online A & E Review Course (available by individual course, by module or the entire course), participation in ASRM online programming, participation in journal clubs, attendance at regional seminars and participation in hospital grand rounds. In addition, CEUs can be obtained by participating in writing questions for the ABB and ABOR certification examinations. This method of collecting continuing education credits is especially rewarding as it gives each member the opportunity to identify educational and compliance gaps within our field. Additionally, this level of participation from our peers helps to ensure that those in the process of being credentialed are up-to-date with the current literature and technological advancements in our field. For additional information on writing exam questions, please email me (cbormann@partners.org), or contact the ABB directly.

Looking ahead to 2016, I am excited to work with the outstanding MCC board members to ensure that test questions are up-to-date and are well supported by current research that appropriately represent contemporary ART practices. In addition, our committee will work hard to help all CRB members identify opportunities for obtaining continuing education credits so that they are better equipped to provide the highest standards of excellence within our field. Finally, it is crucial that ART staff have the opportunity to pursue board certification. The ABB and ABOR offer numerous levels of certification, including the highly regarded certifications for Andrology Laboratory Scientist (ALS) and Embryology Laboratory Scientist (ELS), which are equivalent to the ABOR Medical Technologist certification. Please feel free to contact the ABB or ABOR with questions regarding certification.