CIP® Recertification by Continuing Education
Short Articles
September 2024 - "The Beginning"
The process to recertify by continuing education credit can seem like just another task to add to the growing list of deadlines to be met. Recertification is often put out of your mind until the deadline approaches and the reminders start popping up in your email. Before you know it, suddenly it is time to scramble to dot I’s and cross T’s!
Let’s take pause and go back to where it all started. Remember when you decided to set yourself apart as a research ethics professional? Maybe your employer mandated certification as a job requirement? Regardless of your reason for pursuing the Certified IRB Professional (CIP®) certification, you knew it was going to require maintenance and continued learning to stay on top of the latest research ethics regulations.
Think back to the first time that you studied and sat to take the CIP® examination. After three hours and over a hundred questions later, you passed! Great news! In the whirlwind following your successful exam, you received your certification details which include the expiration date: you are a Certified IRB Professional for the next three years. You think to yourself, “Okay I have three years to fulfil recertification requirements, I will worry about that later.”
Throughout the certification period, you attend webinars, conferences, trainings, and other opportunities that pertain to your work. Many continuing education credits can be found on Education at PRIM&R. PRIM&R members have access to free webinars and learning opportunities, many of which carry CIP® continuing education credits.
You are now on your way to gathering enough credits to recertify by continuing education, all because you are staying current in your field. Without even realizing it, you set yourself up for success! Just remember to keep track of the eligible continuing education credits you have collected, along with saving the certificates of attendance or other proof that you attended, as this will be required documentation for your application!
April 2025 - "Time to Recertify"
Here you are, three years after passing your initial CIP® exam, and your recertification deadline is rapidly approaching. You believe you have enough credits to recertify by continuing education, but you cannot remember the exact process. You know there are specific requirements that must be met to achieve recertification by the due date. What are those requirements? You remember something about them from three years ago, but what were they? Visiting the PRIM&R CIP® recertification webpage will refresh you on the recertification requirements.
In due time you collect all your documentation and start to fill out the Excel tracker. With this task done, you finish the CIP® recertification application form. Check! One more task complete!
Now it is time to officially submit your recertification application. You submit the application form, Excel tracker, and all your documentation in the hopes that everything is in order! As long as you attended enough trainings, webinars, and conferences, and have made sure to save your certificates of attendance or other proof that you attended the training, this part should be a breeze. The hard work came from the three years you have spent investing in yourself and your career as you made time to attend these learning opportunities and stay current in your field!
As you are ready to apply for recertification, think back to the beginning and why you chose to pursue the CIP® certification. Maybe your reason for keeping your credential active is the same or maybe it has changed as you and your career have grown. Whichever the reason, always keep in mind that it is equally important to maintain good records along your journey. Your future self will thank you!