Certification

Exam Dates: September 5 – 21, 2013
Applications Open: May 1, 2013
Applications Due: July 31, 2013
Note: Applications will be accepted through August 14, 2013 with a $150 late fee.

Learn More About: CRA Certification; CRC Certification; PI Certification; CTI Certification

About Certification
Certification is the formal recognition of clinical research professionals who have met eligibility requirements and demonstrated specific, job-related skills.

Benefits of Certification
Earning your designation demonstrates you have achieved the clinical research industry's premier Certification. This career milestone will validate your clinical research knowledge, skills, and application — joining more than 27,000 of your colleagues in their dedication to improving the quality of clinical research.

Becoming Certified, or requiring Certification for your team, advances the clinical research profession by enhancing subject safety, regulatory compliance, and the public's understanding of clinical trials.

For employers, Certification can serve several purposes from providing evidence of experience and qualifications of a research team to the FDA, or other regulatory bodies, during an inspection, to validating competency when considering a new employee. Recently, evidence has indicated that regulators believe Certification reduces risk to research subjects. There are fewer errors, lower costs, more rapid turnaround, and greater safety in clinical trials when Certified professionals are involved.

Feedback from the industry is clear — Certification is invaluable.

Am I Eligible? When are Certification Exams Offered?
CRA, CRC and PI exams are offered in March and September every year. Exams will evaluate your expertise on topics and regulations specifically related to your ability to make decisions in specific scenarios. Exam eligibility is determined by academic qualifications and practical work experience. Two years full-time or equivalent part-time clinical research experience performing specific job functions is required to sit for an exam. Please view the Certification Handbooks for more details.

About ACRP
Since 1992, the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) has been the leading certifier of clinical research professionals with more than 25,000 professionals holding a designation from our accrediting bodies to date. As the importance of Certification increased throughout the profession, ACRP recognized the need for all Certifications to be administered by an independent entity. In 2005 and 2006, the Academy of Clinical Research Professionals (The Academy) was created as an affiliate of ACRP to administer all Certification Programs (CCRA^®, CCRC^®, CPI^®, CCTI^®). The Academy helps to improve the organization in a way that enhances our integrity and representative efforts for members of the clinical research team.

ACRP Certification is granted in recognition of verified work experience and successful performance on a multiple-choice exam. ACRP currently offers three Certification exams, one for Clinical Research Associates/CRAs (Monitor), one for Clinical Research Coordinators/CRCs (Site), and one for Physician Investigators/PIs (MD). The exams are based on the industry's largest validated job analysis to ensure the exams reflect the frequency and importance of what CRAs, CRCs, and PIs do in the clinical research process. 

CCRA^®, CCRC^®, and CPI^® are Accredited
The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) has granted accreditation to all of the Academy of Clinical Research Professionals' Certification Programs for Clinical Research Coordinators, Clinical Research Associates, and Physician Investigators for demonstrating compliance with the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. NCCA is the accrediting body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (formerly the National Organization for Competency Assurance). The NCCA Standards were created in 1977 and updated in 2003 to ensure certification programs adhere to modern standards of practice for the certification industry. ACRP joins an elite group of more than 100 organizations representing over 200 programs that have received and maintained NCCA accreditation. More information on the NCCA is available online at www.credentialingexcellence.org/ncca.