Clinical

Education and Experience Standards for Clinical Chemist Certification

Education Requirements

1. Candidates with a PhD degree in a chemical, physical or biological science and candidates with a doctoral degree in clinical laboratory sciences are eligible to apply for Clinical Chemist Certification by the NRCC.
2. MD/DO candidates are eligible to apply only if they have completed training in a clinical pathology program that is recognized by the American Board of Pathology or the American Osteopathic Board of Pathology OR if they completed training in a recognized Clinical Chemistry program (e.g., Commission on Accreditation in Clinical Chemistry or ComACC)
3. All candidates must have successfully completed a minimum 24 semester hours (36 quarter hours) of chemistry/biochemistry courses AND 8 semester hours (12 quarter hours) of additional natural science courses from an institution acceptable to the Board, at undergraduate and/or graduate level.

Acceptable institutions are institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada accredited by a regional accrediting association or whose pertinent program is accredited by a national accrediting agency. Transcripts must be sent by institutions directly to NRCC.

Applicants with education obtained at institutions of higher education outside the United States or Canada must, at their expense, have credentials evaluated for equivalence by an acceptable evaluation agency for foreign transcript evaluations. The equivalency reports (degrees and courses) should be sent to the NRCC office and will be used to determine whether an applicant meets the NRCC standards for degrees and courses (education and training). Please see the FAQ page for a list of Board approved evaluation agencies.

Reports must show course titles and equivalent hours (“course-by-course evaluation”) and must be sent by evaluation agencies directly to NRCC.

Professional Experience Requirements

1. Candidates residing in the USA or Canada must have a minimum of 3 years of experience acquired within the last 5 years before application. In lieu of professional experience, post-doctoral fellows enrolled in clinical chemistry programs approved by the Commission on Accreditation in Clinical Chemistry (ComACC) may sit for examination after the end of their first year of training upon recommendation of their Program Director and payment of an examination fee. Upon passing the examination and completing the second year of the training program, fellows may apply for certification as Clinical Chemist.
2. Experience must be achieved in broad clinical chemistry testing areas, in pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical processes, as well as in laboratory management and regulation in an appropriately CLIA accredited high-complexity laboratory that performs diagnostic testing in patients. Please refer to the application form and the reference form for categories of experience.
3. Clinical laboratory experience achieved as part of a degree program (including doctoral level programs) is considered part of education, and therefore, does NOT count as professional experience.
4. The Board will NOT consider research laboratory experience (academic research labs, veterinary labs, industry R&D labs, clinical trial laboratories, etc.) or experience acquired in non-clinical chemistry (genetics, cytology, microbiology, etc.) towards professional experience.
5. Physician office laboratories generally do not provide the broad-based experience required but will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
6. Applications must include a detailed statement (please refer to “Personal statement”) and describe the applicant’s experience and interest in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine and reasons for seeking certification. See application form for details.

Candidates must fulfill BOTH the educational and professional experience requirements at the time of application.

Documents and Forms Required for Application for Certification

The following documents and forms must be submitted for consideration:

1. Updated and detailed CV (curriculum vitae)
2. Transcripts from all applicable undergraduate and graduate work, as well as proof of professional training (e.g., letter or certificate confirming ComACC fellowship, CP residency, as applicable). Refer to Education Requirements section for more details.
3. Completed Application Form
4. Detailed personal statement – see “Personal Statement” form
5. Three reference letters (minimum 500 words each) by a current and/or former supervisor and other professional colleagues who can readily attest to your experience. References may be contacted by the Board credentials committee if more information is required to verify nature of experience.

All application materials (application form, statement, and reference forms) MUST be typed. Hand-written forms will be rejected.

Applications are considered complete only when all the above items have been received. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

The NRCC Board reserves the right to request additional documents or information and to contact reference providers.

Evaluation of candidates’ applications generally takes up to 4 weeks. Please check the status of your application by contacting NRCC.

The candidate should sit for examination within 6 months of the application approval to take the exam. Failure to do so may require re-application.

If the examinee fails to pass the exam on the first attempt, only one additional attempt is allowed without re-application. If the second attempt is unsuccessful, applicants must wait at least 12 months to re-apply. Only one re-application is permitted per candidate.

Applicants may not have more than one certification application pending concurrently.

Examination Standards

The Clinical Chemist examination consists of 150 multiple-choice questions covering the theoretical, fundamental, and practical aspects of clinical chemistry.

The exam will assess knowledge in the field of clinical chemistry, on broad subjects at various levels: recall or memory; interpretation or comprehension; problem solving or reasoning, etc.

Questions are concerned with Basic Science, Methodology, and Laboratory Practice and will emphasize (1) Analysis and (2) Evaluation. The examinations will also include questions concerned with (3) Patient Preparation, Specimen Collection and Handling, and, to a lesser extent, (4) Management and Administration.

Categories of questions may include but are not limited to: calculations and statistics; photometric techniques; immunoassays; separation techniques; mass spectrometry; other techniques (centrifugation, extraction, atomic absorption, electrodes, osmolality, radioactivity); carbohydrates/diabetes; amino acids and proteins; lipids; enzymes; blood gases, acid-base and electrolytes; endocrinology; therapeutic drug monitoring; toxicology; liver/intestine functions; kidney functions/urinalysis; nervous system; cardiac function; genetics/molecular/biochemical; nutrition/vitamins/trace elements; bone and mineral; heme synthesis/porphyria, pregnancy, tumors; other/interference/artifact/pure chemistry.

Examinations are developed by the Clinical Chemist Examination Committee, appointed by the NRCC President. The committee determines content areas and relative emphasis for each area. Questions may be solicited from practitioners from within and outside the Board. Questions are analyzed and edited periodically by the Examination Committee to ensure subject matter accuracy and relevancy. Questions are maintained in a database from which items are selected for each form of an examination.

Three hours are allowed for completion of an exam.

Once approved to sit for the examination, applicants may schedule the exam with a local proctor acceptable to NRCC at a time and location determined by the applicant. The candidate should sit for examination within 6 months of the application approval to take the exam. Failure to do so may require re-application.

All exams are computer-based, requiring an internet connection. Pass/fail results are reported immediately to the applicant and NRCC. Reports of scores, along with normative data, are reviewed by the Board of Directors which sets the passing score for examinations.

Continuing Education and Maintenance of Certification

Clinical Chemists certified by the NRCC board are required to maintain high professional standards and keep up with new developments in the field. To ensure this, NRCC Board certified Clinical Chemists are required to obtain a minimum of 20 contact hours of continuing education (CE) per year (January 1-December 31).

The requirement for CE is waived for the calendar year during which the NRCC Diplomate status is achieved. Newly certified Clinical Chemists are required to begin earning CE the year following certification.

Clear, documented proof of CE requirements must be submitted together with the application for renewal of certification. If certification is renewed every three years, NRCC certified Clinical Chemists must provide documentation for a total of 60 CE covering the period from the previous (re)certification to the current application for recertification. Recertification will be granted upon proof and fulfillment of CE requirement. (20 CE credits/year or 60 CE credits if renewing for 3 years at a time, respectively).

A percentage of certified Clinical Chemists will be randomly audited during the process of recertification to determine compliance with the CE requirements.

Continuing education requirements (20 CE credits/year) can be achieved in two ways:

1. Traditional CE from an accredited provider: obtain a minimum of 10 CE by being involved in educational activities provided by various recognized professional organizations, such as (but not limited to): Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), American Academy of Forensic Science, American Board of Bioanalysis (ABB), American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS), the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP), California Association for Medical Laboratory Technology (CAMLT), California Association of Toxicologists, Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists (CSCC) , College of American Pathologists (CAP), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA), Clinical Ligand Assay Society (CLAS), the Colorado Association for Continuing Medical Laboratory Education, Inc. (CACMLE), the International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology (IATDMCT), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Royal College of Pathologists, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, , and the Society of Forensic Toxicologists.

A minimum of 10 CE per year are required under this category.

1. Self-reported CE: a maximum of 10 hours CE can be obtained from various professional activities: non-accredited seminars, teaching, professionally related publications (papers, books, abstracts) and publication reviews, self-evaluation (reading articles, consultation).

A maximum of 10 CE per year are accepted under this category.

All certified Clinical Chemists are responsible for maintaining documentation (e.g., transcripts or attendance certificates) to support their accredited-provider CE for a minimum of 4 years past attendance in order to comply with the audit if selected.

CE Audits

1. A number of renewal applicants will be randomly selected for audit and will have 30 days to provide primary evidence (e.g., photocopies/scans) of CE obtained. Extensions from this term will be evaluated upon request on a case-by-case basis.
2. NRCC certified professionals who do not meet the CE standards will be put on probation. They will have an automatic audit the next year and they will not be eligible for NRCC certification renewal for 3-year terms, but only for 1 year and for that year they will be put on CE probation. If the audited individual fails to provide evidence again in the second year, then a letter from NRCC President stating revocation of their NRCC credential/certification will be issued, unless they provide a reasonable explanation (e.g., extended illness, family leave, etc.). After this they will have 30 days to respond with a detailed explanation. If no response or an inadequate response is received, then the revocation of their NRCC credential/certification is final and as such, an official letter from the NRCC BOD will be issued. To assess explanation, a panel of at least two Board members will be selected to review and decide on revoking/maintaining the credentials (should it ever get that far).
3. Audits will go back as far as the renewal term. E.g.: If applying for a three-year renewal, the audit will go back three years.
4. CE audits began Jan. 1, 2020 (renewal applications during 2020 and after).

Please see the Fees page for information on application and examination fees. For current certification renewal fees, please see the renewal form.

Education and Experience Standards for Clinical Chemistry Technologist Certification

Applicants must meet at least one of the following education/experience requirements.

• Earned bachelor’s degree with at least 12 semester hours (18 quarter hours) of chemistry courses plus 4 semester hours (6 quarter hours) of additional natural science courses from an institution acceptable to the Board and a minimum of 1 year of clinical laboratory experience dealing with human specimens for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes.
• Earned master’s degree with at least 12 semester hours (18 quarter hours) of chemistry courses plus 4 semester hours (6 quarter hours) of additional natural science courses from an institution acceptable to the Board and a minimum of 1 year of clinical laboratory experience dealing with human specimens for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes.
• Earned doctoral degree with at least 12 semester hours (18 quarter hours) of chemistry courses plus 4 semester hours (6 quarter hours) of additional natural science courses from an institution acceptable to the Board and a minimum of 1 year of clinical laboratory experience dealing with human specimens for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes.

Experience requirements must have been met within 6 years of the application date.

Acceptable institutions are institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada accredited by a regional accrediting association or whose pertinent program is accredited by a national accrediting agency.

Transcripts must be sent by institutions directly to NRCC.

Applicants with education obtained at institutions of higher education outside the United States or Canada must, at their expense, have credentials evaluated for equivalence by an acceptable evaluation agency for foreign transcript evaluations. The equivalency reports (degrees and courses) should be sent to the NRCC office and will be used to determine whether an applicant meets the NRCC standards for degrees and courses (education and training). Please see the FAQ page for a list of Board approved evaluation agencies.

Reports must show course titles and equivalent hours and must be sent by agencies directly to NRCC.

Examination Standards

• Clinical Chemistry Technologist examinations consist of 150 multiple-choice questions covering the theoretical, fundamental, and practical aspects of clinical chemistry.
• The taxonomy method of Knowledge is used with Levels: recall or memory; interpretation or comprehension; problem solving or reasoning.
• Questions are concerned with Basic Science, Methodology, and Laboratory Practice. Questions will emphasize (1) Analysis and (2) Evaluation. The examinations will also include questions concerned with (3) Patient Preparation, Specimen Collection and Handling, and, to a lesser extent, (4) Management and Administration.
• Categories of questions may include but are not limited to: calculations and statistics; photometric techniques; immunoassays; separation techniques/mass spec; other techniques (centrifugation, extraction, AA, electrodes, osmolality, radioactivity); carbohydrates/diabetes; amino acids and proteins; lipids; enzymes; blood gases, acid-base and electrolytes; endocrinology; TDM/toxicology; liver/intestine functions; kidney functions/UA; nervous system; cardiac function; genetics/molecular/biochemical; nutrition/vitamins/trace elements; bone and mineral; heme/porphyria/ pregnancy/ tumor; other/interference/artifact/pure chemistry.
• Examinations are developed by a Clinical Chemistry Technologist Examination Committee, appointed by the NRCC President. The committee determines content areas and relative emphasis for each area. Questions may be solicited from practitioners from within and outside the Board. Questions are analyzed and edited periodically by the Examination Committee to ensure subject matter accuracy and relevancy. Questions are maintained in a database from which items are selected for each form of an examination.
• Three hours are allowed for completion of an exam.

• Once approved to sit for the examination, applicants may schedule the exam with a local proctor acceptable to NRCC at a time and location determined by the applicant. The candidate should sit for examination within 24 months of the application approval to take the exam. Failure to do so may require re-application.

• All exams are computer-based, requiring an internet connection. Pass/fail results are reported immediately to the applicant and NRCC. Reports of scores, along with normative data, are reviewed by the Board of Directors which sets the passing score for examinations.
• If the examinee fails to pass the exam on the first attempt, two additional attempts are allowed without re-application. If the third attempt is unsuccessful, applicants must wait at least 12 months to re-apply. Only one re-application is permitted per candidate.

Please see the Fees page for information on application and examination fees. For current certification renewal fees, please see the renewal form.