How To Earn Continuing Education (CE) Credit 

See “General Guidelines for Documenting Continuing Education Credit” for details on how to document continuing education

Ways to Earn CE Credit:

• Attend a pre-approved PEER program.
• Participate in an AAB Online Course or PEER-approved online course/webinar.
• Attend a program approved by other clinical laboratory organizations, such as APHL, ASCLS(PACE), ADLM (formerly AACC), or ASM.
• Attend a program recognized by a state clinical laboratory licensing board such as California Laboratory Field Services or Florida CE Broker.
• Attend the AAB Annual Meeting and Educational Conference.
• Enroll in an AAB-hosted on-line learning program.
• Attend AAB-hosted live workshops.
• Enroll in acceptable college or university courses. (official transcript required)
• Attend a laboratory related program that is not pre-approved by PEER, a state clinical laboratory licensing board, or other clinical laboratory CE program.  Limitations do apply.
• Participate in a CE course published in a scientific journal (e.g., Journal of Andrology).  The course must be approved by a nationally approved CE body (e.g., PEER, ACCENT, PACE).  PEER will accept 25% of the contact hours approved by the approval body.

Ways to Earn FREE CE credit:

• Write questions for ABB or the AAB Board of Registry examinations. Limitations do apply.
• Give a presentation at scientific seminars or workshops. Limitations do apply. 
• Teach a laboratory related course.  Receive one (1) contact hour for each hour taught.  A maximum of 12 hours per 2 year recording period.
• Participate in an Item Writers' Workshop.  Item writer experts that participate in an Item Writers' Workshop receive 1 contact hour for each hour of participation. 
• Write an article for a publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Four (4) contact hours may be awarded for the publication of a full article in a peer-reviewed journal.  Limitations do apply.

CME Programs (such as ASRM) and CE Credit

Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits MAY or MAY NOT be acceptable for PEER credit. The PEER program is completely separate from the CME program.

Some programs that have CME approval also have applied for and been awarded PEER approval. In these cases, such as the ASRM annual meeting, you must obtain the PEER CE recording form at the meeting AND return the form for validation prior to leaving the meeting. For programs that provide CME credit but are not pre-approved by PEER you may apply for credit using the non-PEER approved process discussed below and in the General Guidelines for Documenting CE credit.

Earn CE Credit* for Writing ABB and AAB-BOR Examination Questions 

You may receive up to four (4) hours in each two-year CE recording period for writing examination items (questions) for the American Board of Bioanalysis (ABB) or the AAB Board of Registry (ABOR) examinations. One contact hour is awarded for every six (6) examination questions. The questions must be original questions in the correct format and be accepted by the Item Writers' Committee to receive CE credit. For format specifications and additional information, visit Guidelines for Writing Examination Questions. 

* CE credit for writing and editing exam questions may not be applicable to California state licensure. Please contact the California Department of Health Laboratory Field Services for details on the types of credit they will accept.

Conversion of College Credits to Contact Hours 

College credits acceptable to PEER may be substituted for contact hours. Two (2) semester hours or three (3) quarter hours are equivalent to 20 contact hours. We must receive an official transcript directly from the educational institution (Attn: PEER). For credits to be acceptable for PEER credit, the credits must be from an accredited college or university and must directly relate to the clinical, public health, or assisted reproduction laboratory. Business or Health Management courses are allowed for up to six (6) contact hours per recording period.

CE Credit for Presenting Scientific Seminars and Workshops 

CE credit will be awarded based on the number of contact hours during the presentation, not to exceed 50% of the total recording period requirement. CE credit will only be awarded the first time a particular topic is presented within a CE recording period. 

CE Credit for Publications in a Peer-reviewed Scientific Journal

You may receive credit for up to three (3) articles for a maximum of 12 contact hours in each CE recording period. The publication must be in a recognized, peer-reviewed journal, and the topic and content of the publication must be related to the clinical laboratory. You must be a listed author, not just an acknowledged contributor. A copy of the publication must be provided to ABB/PEER by uploading it to your CE account, and the final decision on acceptability for CE credit resides solely with ABB/PEER.

CE Credit for Programs That Are Not Approved by PEER, a State Licensing Board, or other Clinical Laboratory Associations.

Programs that are not approved by PEER, a state licensing Board, or a clinical laboratory association may be submitted for consideration as non-PEER approved programming.  While PEER considers ALL continuing education credit worthwhile, PEER will ONLY award CE credit for programming that is related to the laboratory field (see guideline examples below).  

Documentation for these programs is the responsibility of the attendee. COMPLETE and accurate documentation is required in order for submitted programs to be reviewed for CE credit. See General Guidelines for Documenting CE Credit for details regarding proper documentation.  

Examples of Non-PEER Approved Programs that are Acceptable for CE Credit:

• Hospital Grand Rounds that relate disease and laboratory tests linked to early detection of disease.
• Presentations regarding IVF stimulation protocols and how they affect oocyte quality.
• Presentations regarding IVF stimulation protocols and how to test for hormonal profiles in patients (specifically the hormone test).
• Presentations regarding clinical tests for detection.
• Presentations regarding testing for anthrax in the Public Health Laboratory.
• Presentations regarding FDA requirements for clinical laboratory testing.
• Presentations regarding testing to determine Vitamin D levels in patients.
• Presentations regarding required laboratory testing and documentation for IVF oocyte donors. 

Examples of Non-PEER Approved Programs that are NOT Acceptable for CE Credit: 

• Hospital Grand Rounds that relate heart disease and the risk factors associated with the disease. 
• Presentations regarding IVF stimulation protocols and how to manage the poor responder.
• Presentations regarding surgical techniques for treatment.
• Presentations regarding anthrax prevalence in the general population in developing countries.
• Presentations regarding FDA requirements for product testing for FDA approval.
• Presentations regarding the importance of Vitamin D for a healthy and happy life.
• Presentations regarding IVF oocyte donors and how to recruit donors to your program.