CPIA Recertification

About CPIA Recertification
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About CPIA Recertification

CPIAs must recertify every five years in order to maintain their certification and to use the CPIA® designation after their name. Recertification may be achieved either by:

To learn more about the recertification guidelines and process, click on the video on the right to watch a recording of our free CPIA Recertification Info Session! 

2021 Deadlines & Fees

Most Recent Certification Date Recertification Application
Due Date		 Certification Expiration Date
Spring 2016 Recert by exam: February 26, 2021 for the spring testing period June 30, 2021
Recert by CE: April 30, 2021
Fall 2016 Recert by exam: September 3, 2021 December 31, 2021
Recert by CE: September 30, 2021

The fee for either type of recertification is:

PRIM&R Member: $350
Nonmember: $475

*Note: 2021 fees are in effect January 1-December 31, 2021. 

Recertification by Continuing Education

Those wishing to recertify by CE should download and complete the CPIA recertification by CE application and the CE Tracker (recertification candidates should complete the CE Tracker tab on this spreadsheet; credit hours will automatically populate in the credit hours tab).

Download the Recertification Application Download the CE Tracker Explore CPIA -Eligible PRIM&R Programs
  • At least 40 of the 50 hours of continuing education credit required for recertification must cover IACUC-administration related topics listed in the CPIA Body of Knowledge/Content Outline. Up to 10 hours can be on professional development topics not directly related to IACUC administration,  but support an individual’s work in animal program management (examples include leadership/management training and general laboratory animal science topics).
  • Candidates may earn up to 50 credit hours for category 2 (online training and webinars).
  • No more than 30 continuing education hours may be earned in a single category with the exception of of category 2 (online training and webinars); there are dditional restrictions for categories 9 (exam items) and 12 (local or regional IACUC administration-related networking group meetings).
  • Credit hours must be earned within the current five-year certification period.
  • Continuing education activities scheduled after the application deadline (but before certification lapse date) may be counted toward recertification. Candidates are responsible for sharing attendance information upon completion of the program.
Category Description Credit Hours Earned
1 Attendance at IACUC administration-related educational programs 1 per hour attended
2 Participation in IACUC administration-related online training, conferences, and webinars 1 per hour attended
3 Participation as faculty in an IACUC administration-related educational program 1 per half hour presented
4 Service as a site visitor (e.g., AAALAC, OLAW). 5 per day per site visit
5 Authorship of relevant articles relevant to IACUC administration in peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Publish an article in Comparative Medicine, ILAR Journal, JAALAS, or Lab Animal) 10 per published article
6 First authorship or presenter of relevant posters relevant to IACUC administration presented at a meeting 5 per poster
7 Authorship of opinion articles or articles which are not peer-reviewed in journals and are related to IACUC administration (e.g., Contribute an article  to ALN or publish a response in Lab Animal magazine's "Protocol Review" column) 2 per published article
8 Authorship of published book chapters relevant to IACUC administration 15 per chapter
9 Item writing for the CPIA exam 2 per 5 questions accepted (maximum of 10 credits)
10 Attendance at a CPIA exam item review session 10 per entire session
11 Retired  
12 Participation in an IACUC administration-related local or regional networking group* 1 per 2 hours attended
(maximum of 15 credits)
13 Participation in a self-study program, such as PRIM&R's Research Ethics Digest animal care and use quiz 1 per quiz

*Candidates must provide either a certificate of attendance signed by the host/leader of the meeting showing topics and total hours, or a copy of the minutes from the meeting showing attendees, topics and total hours.

For more information on about the CPIA acceptable categories please refer to the recertification guidelines.

Explore PRIM&R programs eligible for CPIA credit
  • Individuals are responsible for obtaining source documentation (certificates, letters of attendance, etc.) for recertification credit and for retaining copies of such documentation for at least three years following recertification.
  • Documentation for all continuing education credits must be included with the recertification application.
    • Suitable documentation for online learning opportunities that don’t issue certificates of attendance include: copies of sign-in attendance sheets; logs detailing the program title, date of participation, and length of the program that are signed by a supervisor; emails confirming attendance after the conclusion of the program.
  • A CE Tracker is available to keep a record of continuing education credits.
    • Recertification candidates should complete the CEU Tracker tab on the spreadsheet; credit hours will automatically populate in the credit hours tab. The continuing education tracker document should be sent as an Excel file.
  • Continuing education credits must be earned within the current five-year certification period. CE activities scheduled after the application due date, but before the expiration date, may be counted toward recertification so long as:
    • The application includes information about the planned continuing education activity
    • Written notice is provided to PRIM&R upon completion of the activity
    • Acceptable documentation of attendance is submitted as soon as it is available

Submitting Your Recertification by CE Application

Recertification candidates should email their recertification application, documentation, and CE tracker to certification@primr.org for fastest processing. Please note that candidates’ credentials are valid during the application review process.

If you are recertifying by check, please make out the payment to PRIM&R and send it to the PO Box listed below. Please email your application, documentation, and CE tracker to certification@primr.org and note that payment is forthcoming.

Payment Address: P.O. Box 849502, Boston, MA 02284-9502
Fax: 617.423.1185
Email: registration@primr.org 

Note: Our office is currently closed; we cannot accept payments requiring a signature. Please contact registration@primr.org if you have questions.