Q1. Certification status: How can my employer verify my certification status?
Answer 1: The ABCP website has an online verification tool. It contains a current listing of all CCPs; this list is continuously updated. Many employers and hospitals use the website as the primary verification site. The National Office staff can also verify certification status by telephone or mail.
Q2. Committees: Can you give an example of what one of the ABCP committees typically does?
Answer 2: The recertification committee is responsible for reviewing and awarding continuing education points for meetings that are perfusion education. The committee also reviews petitions and appeals from CCPs who request reconsideration of actions or decisions made by the ABCP concerning recertification and makes recommendations to the full board concerning the request. The recertification committee in conjunction with the forms committee recently introduced a new form making it easier to submit meetings to request CEUs.
Q3. Director pay: Do the Directors of the ABCP get paid?
Answer 3: No. Each Director donates a minimum of three (3) weeks of his/her time, without compensation, to:
- write and review new examination questions; and
- analyze and evaluate examination items for statistical reliability, validity and relevance.
In addition, Directors volunteer many hours throughout the year to serve on ABCP committees that provide services to the perfusion community, such as:
- reviewing and awarding CEUs to continuing education programs;
- reviewing credentials for ABCP examination applicants;
- reviewing and investigating alleged ethical violations;
- researching current perfusion technology;
- serving as ABCP representatives to the Accreditation Committee for Perfusion Education (AC-PE), the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Conjoint Committee on Accreditation of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA); and
- representing the ABCP on various perfusion liaison committees and educational forums.
These activities require many hours of research, conference calls, e-mail correspondence and travel.
Q4. Director requirements: Who are the Directors of the American Board?
Answer 4:Each director is a practicing Certified Clinical Perfusionist (CCP) with a minimum of five (5) years of experience as a practicing CCP. Directors are chosen from those CCPs who meet the eligibility and scope of commitment requirements established by the ABCP. The current Board can be viewed on the website.
Q5. Director numbers: How many Directors are on the Board?
Answer 5: The ABCP is comprised of from eight (8) to fourteen (14) directors depending on the current workload. The number of directors is set each year in anticipation of the impending year's workload. Directors serve four-year terms up to a maximum of three (3) terms. No Director may serve more than twelve (12) years on the ABCP.
Q6. Director roles: What are the roles of the Directors (What do they do)?
Answer 6: The primary purpose of the Board and, therefore, its most essential function is protection of the public through the establishment and maintenance of standards in the field of cardiovascular perfusion. To achieve this objective, the Board has established qualifications for examination and procedures for recertification. Its requirements and procedures are reviewed and modified periodically as necessary.
The primary role of the ABCP Directors is to design, implement and administer the credentialing process. Additionally, ABCP Directors support and stimulate innovative educational activities and promote ethical professional development. To accomplish these roles, Directors sit on multiple ABCP committees and, when requested, serve as liaisons to other perfusion and perfusion-related organizations.
Q7. Examination questions: May I submit an examination question to the ABCP?
Answer 7: Yes. Examination questions should be relevant to the field of perfusion and supported by two (2) current scientific peer-reviewed references. Questions can be submitted through the ABCP website. Each question will be reviewed during the ABCP annual examination meeting which is held each summer.
Q8. Mission trips: Are cases performed on a voluntary basis for mission trips acceptable for recertification reporting?
Answer 8: Yes. If the case is documented and can be verified, it is allowed.
Q9. Name/ address change: How do I change my name on my records after marriage or divorce? What about a change of address?
Answer 9: The CCP should contact the National Office in order for the staff to update our administrative database; appropriate changes should also be made by the CCP to his/her profile page on the Online Filing System (OFS).
Q10. OFS cycle: What cycle am I in? Do I need to file the Professional Activity Report (PAR) this year for recertification?
Answer 10: The recertification cycle is assigned at the time of initial certification and never changes. Cycle one (1) must file the PAR in 2026, 2029, 2032 etc. Cycle two (2) must file the PAR in 2025, 2028, 2031 etc. Cycle three (3) must file the PAR in 2024, 2027, 2030 etc. The cycle number is printed on all correspondence to the CCP and is available on the Online Filing System (OFS).
Q11. OFS ID/ password: How can I get my ABCP ID or Password for use on the Online Filing System (OFS)?
Answer 11: Contact the National Office for assistance if you have forgotten or do not have access to your ABCP ID or Password.
Q12. OFS logging problems: Sometimes, I cannot get a case (or meeting) to record on the Online Filing System (OFS). Does this mean the system is not working?
Answer 12: No, the system is working.
A case or meeting may not appear if the date of the case or meeting is not within the reporting period. When a case or meeting is entered, the OFS records it into the reporting year appropriate to the item. For example: A person entering cases for the 2011 Clinical Activity Report (CAR) must report cases performed between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. If the CCP enters "July 31, 2011," instead of July 31, 2010, that case will go into the 2012 report because the new reporting period begins July 1st. (Remember, reports always begin July 1st and end June 30th.)
Information recorded for the Professional Activity Report (PAR) accumulates during the three-year reporting period until the PAR is due. (See FAQ #10.) If a meeting which occurred in July 5, 2011, is recorded on the file of someone in Cycle 1, while the 2011 reports are showing, the meeting will disappear into the 2012, 2013, and 2014 reports because it does not fit into the 2011 PAR and the next report (for Cycle 1) is due in 2014. The Professional Activity Report is not transmitted when the CAR is transmitted unless BOTH reports are due for that year, so you may save CEUs as you earn them and they will record into the correct report.
Q13. OFS report dates: After July 1st, why does the OFS still display the reports for the current year?
Answer 13: The OFS defaults to the reports due during the current calendar year. You may access "reports due" during another year (past or future) by using the "Set Report End Date" button and selecting the year's reports you wish to view. You may save information for future reports from the current year's display and the system will record them into the correct report.
Q14. Retiring <20 years: What if I retire or leave clinical perfusion after having held the CCP credential fewer than twenty (20) years?
Answer 14: If a perfusionist has held the CCP credential for fewer than twenty (20) years, he/she may choose the inactive status upon retirement or upon leaving clinical perfusion for other reasons. This status acknowledges that the perfusionist has formerly held the CCP credential. Inactive CCPs receive the ABCP Annual Report and other appropriate publications and are listed on the ABCP website as an inactive CCP. The fee for this status is $25.00 annually.
Q15. Retiring ≥20 years: What if I retire from clinical perfusion after having held the CCP credential for twenty (20) years or more?
Answer 15: Beginning January 1, 2014, the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (ABCP) approved the designation of
CCP Emeritus; the designation recognizes retiring CCPS for their former certified status.
To be conferred with this status, the retiring CCP must:
- have twenty (20) or more cumulative years of experience as a CCP in good standing;
- request CCP Emeritus status within thirty (30) days of losing certification (January 31st of the year that certification is lost);
- agree to use the title CCP Emeritus and not to use the title CCP, CCP-R, Certified Clinical Perfusionist or Certified Clinical Perfusionist Retired; and
- maintain a current mailing/e-mail address with the ABCP National Office.
Once the
CCP Emeritus status is conferred, the recipient's name is published on the ABCP website with the title of
CCP Emeritus. The recipient is also provided with a certificate recognizing his/her service as a CCP, and he/she receives the ABCP Annual Report and other appropriate ABCP publications. There is no fee associated with this status.
Q16. Retiring ≥20 years to emeritus: What if I retire from clinical perfusion after having held the CCP credential for twenty (20) years or more and wish to bypass the conditional certification year and go directly to the CCP Emeritus status?
Answer 16: If a retiring CCP has held the CCP credential for twenty (20) years or more and wishes to forego the conditional certification year and proceed directly to the CCP Emeritus status, he/she may request a waiver of the conditional year. He/she must sign a statement waiving the conditional certification year to proceed directly to the non-clinical CCP Emeritus status. The CCP Emeritus status is not reversible, and the CCP Emeritus who waives the conditional year would be required to re-enter the ABCP certification process by examination to regain full certification status.
Q17. Simulation: What is the Board's view on Simulation?
Answer 17: The Board passed a policy that allows CCPs to receive CEUs for simulation training and education; this policy went into effect for the July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012 cycle.
