Professional Activity

Introduction

All certified perfusionists must recertify annually. Recertification is designed to ensure that Certified Clinical Perfusionists, through continuing education and clinical activity, continue to meet standards and possess current and adequate knowledge in the field. Recertification consists of two (2) components:

clinical activity [40 activities reported every year]
professional activity [45 CEUs reported every third year]- described on this page

Online Filing System

Beginning with the 2013-2014 recertification period, all regular recertification reports must be submitted through the Online Filing System (OFS). The CCP may access his/her OFS account in order to record cases (Clinical Activity Report) and CEUs (Professional Activity Report) throughout the reporting period.

OFS details are available on our FAQs page (items 10-13). The ABCP National Office staff is also available to assist CCPs who have questions or issues regarding the system.

Recertification Filing Deadline

All reporting periods end on June 30^th. All reports must be completed and filed through the Online Filing System with the appropriate fee by July 31^st 11:59 PM PST.

Professional Activity Requirements

During each three-year reporting period, each Certified Clinical Perfusionist must earn 45 Continuing Education Units (CEUs). A minimum of 15 CEUs must be earned in Category I.

Category Descriptions

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are categorized according to the type of educational activity. The following table gives a description of the various continuing education categories.

Documentation

Documentation is based on the Continuing Educational Unit (CEU); one CEU or contact hour activity is defined as 50 minutes spent in an organized, structured or unstructured learning experience. It is the responsibility of each CCP to retain supporting documentation reflecting the activity in which they have been engaged which would support professional activities. Random audits will be performed annually on a percentage of Professional Activity Reports as a validating procedure. Failure to produce the necessary documentation, should the perfusionist be the subject of the random audit, could result in loss of the CCP credential. The perfusionist is ultimately responsible for providing verification of professional activity and explaining discrepancies. Acceptable documentation is listed in the table below for each corresponding activity.

Maximum CEUs Per Activity	Activity	Documentation	Maximum CEUs In 3-Year Period
	CATEGORY I – ABCP Approved Perfusion Meetings and Related Activity [A minimum of 15 CEUs must be from this category] Perfusion meetings are those programs and seminars in which a minimum of 75% of the contact hours consists of perfusion or relevant cardiac surgery related material. Category I programs must be equally accessible to the general CCP community.
No maximum	Attendance at an ABCP approved Perfusion-related Meeting; Live, Interactive Webcast or Webinar (independent of an on-site meeting) approved by the ABCP	An official document from the meeting sponsor documenting attendance and the number of CEUs received	None
5	Authors listed in a publication of Perfusion-Related Book Chapter, or Article in Professional Journal (Society newsletters and correspondences are not* included*)	Complete reference of book or article (authors, title, journal, and date/volume of journal)	10
5	Presentation of a Talk at an ABCP-approved perfusion-related meeting; Presentation of a Talk during a Live, Interactive Webcast or Webinar approved by the ABCP	Copy of program agenda	10
2	Editorial Review of Perfusion Journal Articles; Presentation of a Poster or Other Exhibit at an ABCP approved perfusion-related meeting (Presenter(s) must be present for discussion during poster session)	Complete reference of journal article (authors, title, journal, and date/volume of journal)	6
5	Participation in ABCP Knowledge Base Survey	Documentation will be kept by the ABCP	5
No maximum	High Fidelity Perfusion Simulation (HFPS) event that is associated with an approved Category I meeting	Approved Perfusion Meeting, Live, Interactive Webinars, and non-case credit Simulation Activities: An official document from the activity sponsor documenting attendance and the number of CEUs received	None
3 (per year)	Serving as Clinical Instructor in an Accredited Perfusion Training Program	Clinical instructors in accredited programs must provide a letter of confirmation of their status from the Program Director	9
No maximum	Completion of ABCP approved Self-Directed Continuing Education material. Self-Directed Continuing Education (SDCE) is defined as individual participation in previously recorded electronic or written educational material as an individual, without the ability to interact with other participants or a moderator. This activity may be either online or in written format. Participant must take the required post-test and achieve a minimum score of 80% to receive credit.	An official document from the sponsor documenting successful completion of post-test on ABCP approved material and number of CEUs awarded. See information on Page 26 of the Booklet of Information.	10
	CATEGORY II – (Assigned per Non-Approved Perfusion Meetings Meeting) and Other Medical Meetings
15	Perfusion-related meeting or medical meeting NOT approved by the ABCP	A certificate of attendance issued by a professional organization that states the CEUs awarded; or A record of attendance	None
5	All Other Medical Meetings (Hospital-based Grand Rounds, In-services, M&M, Cath Conferences, etc.)	See above	10
5	Medical meeting or perfusion–related meeting not accessible to all perfusionists or manufacturer-specific or company sponsored educational events	See above	10
10	Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) or Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)	See above	15
	CATEGORY III -- Individual Educational And Other Self-Study Activities Credit in Category III is acquired on an hour-for-hour basis of the time spent in these non-approved or non-supervised activities.
1 (per activity)	Reading Scientific Journals Use of Audiovisual Devices/ Podcasts/Additional SDCEs Participation in Electronic Forums; Podcasts; a Journal Club Participation in degree oriented, professionally related coursework Self-Learning Activities Self-Study modules Basic Life Support (BLS) training	All activities will require an official record of completion or written summary of the activity with a completion date.	15
1 (per activity)	Presentation at non-approved meeting	Copy of program agenda	3
1 (per contact hr.)	Serving as a Didactic Instructor in an Accredited Perfusion Training Program	Didactic instructors in accredited programs must provide a letter of confirmation of their status from the Program Director; course title and contact hours must be documented by the Program Director	6
5 (per activity)	Participation as an AC-PE Site Visitor	Documentation of date, site visited, and attendees	10
1 (per activity)	Membership in a professional perfusion organization at the international, national, or state level	Documentation of membership in a professional perfusion organization will be required for the period reported	3
1 (per contact hr.)	Simulation activities not occurring at an approved Category I meeting	Documentation of simulation activity, date, who supervised, and location	15

CEU credits available for ABCP-approved Category I meetings and SDCE courses are listed on the ABCP website.

Professional Activity Report

Each CCP must submit a Professional Activity Report through the Online Filing System every third year in order to document 45 CEUs of professional activity.

A Professional Activity Report runs from July 1^st of one (1) year through June 30^th three (3) years later. The due date for a Professional Activity Report is determined by the ABCP cycle number assigned at the time of certification:

Cycle one (1)- file in 2026, 2029, 2032 etc.;
Cycle two (2)- file in 2025, 2028, 2031 etc.; and
Cycle three (3)- file in 2024, 2027, 2030 etc.

When submitting annual recertification, the OFS will not allow filing until both the CAR report and the PAR report have the necessary case count and CEU’s. Partial submission is not allowed in the OFS. When the OFS recognizes the correct case count you can file and pay using the appropriate button on the dashboard.

Audits

As a validating procedure, random CEU audits are performed annually on a percentage of Professional Activity Reports. The audited perfusionist is ultimately responsible for providing verification of professional activities and explaining discrepancies. Failure to produce the necessary documentation could result in loss of the CCP credential.

Late Fees

Certified perfusionists submitting recertification reports as of August 1^st through August 31^st are assessed a $100.00 Late Filing fee.

Recertification Notification

Upon receipt of complete recertification reports and appropriate fee(s), a new time-limited certificate will be issued to each CCP.

Certificates issued by the ABCP are the sole property of the ABCP and may be canceled at its discretion. By acceptance of the certificate, the holder agrees to return the certificate to the ABCP upon demand. Presentation and display of the certificate is permitted only when it is current and valid. Presentation, display or any other use of an outdated, invalid certificate is expressly prohibited.

Change of Address

Certified Clinical Perfusionists are responsible for informing the National Office of the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion of their current address. The CCP should update the Online Filing System with the address change and notifying the National Office.