Professional Development

CACB Professional Development (PD) Program 

The Maintenance of Competence Committee oversees the continuing professional development (PD) program designed by the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry to encourage and support the lifelong learning needs of its Fellows and other healthcare professionals who are in the practice of clinical chemistry.  The program uses accreditation of continuing professional development events, establishes an ongoing PD program for continuing education credits, and conducts audits of PD credit submissions as a means of meeting this goal.

Requirements for Fellows

 Fellows are required to have the following PD credits each year:

•  minimum of 25 PD credits in total
•  minimum of 15 PD credits in Category 1
•  10 PD credits in at least 2 of the categories 2 to 8

Each year a professional development certificate will be issued to Fellows who meet these requirements.

Submission of credits

Submission of credits is done only online.
To submit, login and click PD Program on the menu on the left of your screen under "Membership Tools".
Your personal record will come up on the screen.  Depending on your internet browser, you may need to scroll down in order to see the record.

To enter your credits, click on one of the numbers (categories) along the top row of the record.
Complete the information in each field and submit

Submission of documentation is mandatory when credits are submitted, in order to complete the claim.  Therefore you should have any electronic documents ready for upload. 
In some cases, additional documentation may be required for an audit (please refer to the "How to complete the form" in the link below).  The most complete record should be submitted to avoid insufficient documentation.

If you wish to store your documentation on the website, it will be kept for 3 years.. 

Deadlines

The deadline to submit credits for the year is December 31

Most CSCC educational sessions include a code to enter your credits, using 'CE Code Entry' under Membership Tools to submit the credits.  The code for PD credits expires 60 days after the date of the session.

Fellows in Good Standing 2022

 

CREDIT CATEGORIES AND DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

Category Examples Documentation Required
CATEGORY 1 
Formal Group Learning specifically related to Lab Medicine and accredited by CACB, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, or AACC (ACCENT)

1 credit / hr

  • Conferences
 • Seminars
 • Accredited Medical Grand Rounds related to laboratory medicine
 • CSCC Education Roundtables
 • IFCC Webinars		  • CSCC or AACC meetings: certificate 

 • Other meetings:
     • certificate of attendance stating the number of hours and the accrediting body
     •  registration and program schedule (signed and dated by participant with attended events indicated)  

 • CSCC Education Roundtable: password

In the absence of a formal certificate, most national and international meetings should qualify if they have one or more of the following:
      - accreditation by a recognized body
      - relevant to laboratory medicine and professional practice; the context is neither too clinical nor basic biomedical research (i.e. not directly applicable to practice)
      - the content level is directed towards laboratory professionals (scientists and physicians)
      - a program stating the dates and times, speakers, titles, learning objectives of the sessions is provided

The committee will use judgment and may request additional supporting documentation if submitted documents are deemed inadequate

CATEGORY 2
Other Formal Group Learning not specifically related to Lab Medicine or formal group learning related to lab medicine not accredited as per Category 1.

1 credit / hr

 • Rounds
 • Departmental seminars
 • Symposia
 • Satellite events within major conferences
 • Journal clubs
 • Courses
 • Industry sponsored workshops
 • Regional clinical chemistry meetings
 • Programs accredited by P.A.C.E.

 • Certificate of attendance
 or
 • Meeting announcement (signed and dated by participant)
 or
 • Meeting minutes (indicating presence)

CATEGORY 3
Self-directed Learning

1 credit / hr

 • Journal/textbook reading
 • Viewing online presentations
 • Self-assessment modules (eg. AACC, ASCP)
 • Archived CSCC Education Roundtables
 • Archived P.A.C.E. programs

  Not included:
 • Literature searches
 • Email discussion groups 

 • Date and time spent
 • List titles and references of journal articles
 • List online presentations viewed
 • Password (teleconferences)
CATEGORY 4 (inactive)    

CATEGORY 5  
Service-associated Learning

1 credit / 3 hrs (5 per committee)

Service Examples: 
• Membership on a Board, Council, or committee of scientific association, hospital or hospital department
• examiner for recognized certification or accreditation body
• journal reviewer or Editorial Board member

• Date and time spent
• Letter/email of acknowledgement or invitation to join
or
• Meeting minutes indicating presence

CATEGORY 6  
Teaching in Laboratory Medicine

2 credits / hr

 • Teaching of students at university/college level
 • Formal group instruction for lab technologists
 • Workplace safety training

 • Course schedule, including participant's name and lecture titles
 • Letter/email of acknowledgement from course organizer

CATEGORY 7
Change in Practice

1 credit / hr (5 per case)

Time spent developing a new process eg.
 • New lab test
 • Revised reporting format
 • Updating teaching curriculum

Time spent implementing the process is not eligible as this would be considered part of a biochemist's regular duties.  This includes staff training, information dissemination and administration.

 • Description of the stimulus and the learning activities
 • Description of the process outcomes
 • List of major references

CATEGORY 8
Publications and Presentations

5 credits / item

 • Articles in scientific journals
 • Posters or oral presentations
 • Submissions to publications indirectly related to lab medicine eg. hospital newsletters

 • Copy of abstract/title from meeting handbook
 or
 • Copy of front page of article

 CATEGORY 9
 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Fellows only

50 credits / year (fixed)

 Physicians who have a certificate of credits from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and who wish to use the certificate to serve both RCPSC and CACB may use this category.  If Category 9 is used to submit credits, credits should not be entered into any other category.  A Category 9 submission is equivalent to 50 creidts (fixed).  The annual certificate from the RCPSC is your supporting documentation.  Only one submission may be made each year.

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