Certification Examination Information

The CLS Program faculty strongly recommend that students take the ASCP certification exam after you graduate from ASU.  Although graduates have up to five years post-graduation to sit for the exam, we recommend that you take it shortly after graduation when all the information is fresh in your head.  If you do not take the exam and become certified, you effectively limit your employment opportunities in the future.  You never know where life may take you; why would you want to limit your ability to be employed?  Plus, with several states in the area requiring licenses, it just makes sense to have the ASCP certification so you can obtain your license with ease.

Once you become certified, you will need to maintain that certification by completing 36 hours of continuing education every 3 years.  Continuing education is not like taking classes at a college.  It means attending educational meetings or seminars that are geared towards laboratory professionals.  Often times, employers will offer opportunities in house, and you can attend a seminar over your lunch break.  There are local, state, regional, and national laboratory meetings you can attend and obtain credit.  There are even ways to earn continuing education on-line and through the mail, via laboratory professional organizations and journals (like ASCLS, ASCP, Advance for Medical Lab Professionals, etc.).  Participating in continuing education is extremely important because the laboratory world is changing daily, and to be successful, a practicing professional needs to stay on top of the information and trends.

For information regarding how to register to take the exam, please go to the ASCP website address:

http://www.ascp.org/FunctionalNavigation/certification/GetCertified.aspx

Because you are completing an accredited program of study, you are meeting the requirements to sit for the exam via “Route 1”.  You’ll need to know ASU’s CLS Program code, which is 003012.  Upon completion of your degree, you’ll need to request official transcripts be sent to ASCP.  Just follow the detailed directions ASCP provides.

Obviously, you’ll want to prepare for the exam by studying your course materials.  There are many study materials available, including comprehensive review books you can purchase, and practice exams on-line that the ASCP will provide you with once you register to take the exam.  Any of the ASU faculty would be happy to answer questions you have about preparing for the exam, and benefits of becoming certified as a medical lab professional.

And just for your information, here is another benefit of certification:

WAGE SURVEY FINDS CERTIFIED MEDICAL LABORATORY PROFESSIONALS EARN MORE
Laboratory medical scientists can raise their income by 14 percent if they become certified, according to ASCP's 2010 Wage Survey. Published in the March 2011 issue of LabMedicine, the ASCP Wage survey provides current wage data for U.S.-based laboratory scientists. The survey highlights pay levels broken down by title, geography, certification, and other variables using results of an online survey that requested data from more than 10,000 laboratory managers, directors, and supervisors across the United States.

For questions concerning any of our degrees, please contact:
Valerie Long
Health Professions Academic Advisor
 870-972-3713
 vlong@astate.edu