MAINTENANCE OF CERTIFICATION COMMITTEE
MDCB Credentialing Process

Medical Dosimetrists become certified by the MDCB upon passing the examination and are eligible to use the credential of Certified Medical Dosimetrist, CMD. Five year cycles commence and CMDs can begin accumulating continuing education credits January 1st following the year in which the CMD passed the exam. Annually, each CMD must pay a registration fee to have their credential registered. This registration process permits use of the CMD credential.

In order to maintain the status of CMD, annual registration fees must be paid by December 31st. A 30-day grace period, with monetary penalty, will be allowed until January 31st. Dosimetrists who have not paid the registration fee will not be allowed to use the credential “CMD” and will not be listed in the registry of Certified Medical Dosimetrists. The only way to reinstate the credential is by passing the MDCB Certification exam.

Along with being registered each year, every five years, a CMD must show proof of continuing competency by documenting 50 continuing education credits.

Duplicate Packet/Certificate Policy

Each new CMD will receive a new certificant packet to include a welcome letter, registration of credential form, certificate, press release template and certificant handbook. New certificants will be advised to notify the MDCB office of change of address with their exam packet and via follow up e-mails. Certificants who have not notified the MDCB office of change of address and request a new packet will incur a packet replacement fee of $25.

Any current CMD can request a duplicate copy of a certificate by completing the online Duplicate Certificate Request Form and submitting a $25.00 fee for processing and shipping/handling charges.

Continuing Education

Purpose
The MDCB is responsible for establishing and managing credentialing and renewal processes for Certified Medical Dosimetrists. Credential renewal is granted to those CMDs who have demonstrated current cognitive capability in the field of medical dosimetry by appropriately documenting participation in continuing education activities.

Definition
The MDCB defines continuing medical dosimetry education as activities that are planned, structured and related to the practice of medical dosimetry. The Scope of Standards of Medical Practice will define relevance to the practice of medical dosimetry for the medical dosimetrist. Each activity must be designed with clearly stated objectives and must be organized to impart information, which is representative of the depth outlined by activity objectives.

How to Report Credit to MDCB

1. Beginning January 1, following certification, CMDs may begin accumulation of continuing education credits provided the annual registration fee has been paid.

2. All continuing education activities must be pre-approved by the MDCB.

3. Credit will be recorded by updating transcripts in the CE Center at www.mdcb.org. CMDs must maintain all certificates of attendance, grade transcript or other proof of completion of approved activities provided by the activity sponsor for five years. MDCB will audit throughout the year.

4. Continuing education credits may be updated and tracked continuously as a benefit of active MDCB registration.

5. Documentation of credits must be updated in the year earned.

6. At the end of five years the CMD must prove completion of 50 MDCB approved/accepted continuing education credits to remain actively credentialed.

Continuing Education Activities

Guidelines for credit evaluation request:

Sponsors may be any individual or organization that plan and organize continuing education activities. Sponsors must submit completed request for credit evaluation form included in this document to the MDCB a minimum of 30 business days before the proposed date of the activity. A request for credit evaluation should include:

1. Program brochure or schedule. If the activity is longer than two hours, the CMD must submit a schedule that includes start times, breaks, lunch and end times. Time should be allowed for change of speakers.
2. Course objectives and course outlines
3. Completed faculty credential form or abbreviated curriculum vitae
4. Speakers presenting continuing education programs should possess expertise in the field that encompasses their topic.

The MDCB evaluates an activity for CE credit, assigns a reference number and determines the amount of credit. Incomplete information may be returned to sponsors for corrections before the MDCB processes the request for credit evaluation. Evaluation begins once all materials are received.

Activities Eligible for Continuing Education Credit

Courses, Lectures or Seminars that are relevant to the practice of medical dosimetry are acceptable for continuing education credit when pre-approved by the MDCB. Lectures less than 30 minutes will not be considered for continuing education credit. A contact hour is based on 50 minutes. Presentations lasting 30 to 49 minutes will be assigned one-half credit. Medical dosimetry review courses attended after September 1, 2009 will be assessed for a maximum of 12 credits. Review courses submitted for credit prior to September 1, 2009 will receive full credit assigned to the course. Medical dosimetry review courses attended after January 1, 2013 will not be approved for continuing education credits.

Academic Courses: Courses taken for transferable academic credit are eligible for continuing education credits provided they are relevant to the practice of medical dosimetry. The CMD must receive a passing grade in a pass/fail system or a grade of C or better in an approved course to receive knowledge and experience credit. Credit assignment is based on the semester or quarter credit hour. Effective January 2012, the CMD will earn five (5) continuing education credits per academic course. A maximum of 15 continuing education credits per cycle will be assessed for academic course work.

Examples of acceptable courses related to the practice of dosimetry are: Math, Physics, Anatomy, Physiology, Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry and research courses related to the content above. Examples of courses that are not recognized include but are not limited to: Management, Business, Music, History, Literature, Art, Physical Education, Astronomy, English and Religion.

The Maintenance of Certification Committee has right of final approval on courses submitted.

Speakers: Formal presentations related to the practice of medical dosimetry or scientific research given in the form of lectures is eligible for continuing education credit. Activities must be approved and credit assigned prior to the presentation. Presenters will be awarded credit two times the approved amount for the lecture. A request for credit evaluation form must be submitted.

Authors: Authors may earn MDCB continuing education credit through a published article in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that meets the definition of a journal as outlined by the National Library of Medicine’s journal selection criteria for Index Medicus/Medline. The first listed author shall receive ten continuing education credits. Second listed author will receive five continuing education credits. Third listed author will receive three continuing education credits. Fourth and other listed authors will receive one continuing education credit. A request for credit evaluation form must be submitted.

Directed Readings: Credits may be obtained for completion of Directed Readings for articles, which are pre-approved by the MDCB. Credit can only be received once for any given article. Any single directed journal reading covering one subject will have a maximum of ten (10) continuing education credits. There is no limitation on the number of total continuing education credits that can be earned for this category.

Applications Training Courses: Pre-approved dosimetry related equipment applications training courses are eligible for credit. CE credit for equipment applications training is based on didactic lecture and demonstration time only. Credit will not be assigned for hands on practice sessions. Effective January 2012, a maximum of eight (8) continuing education credits per day will be accepted. A maximum of sixteen (16) continuing education credits will be accepted for applications training courses per five year cycle.

Certification Exam: The certification exam is a continuing education option that may be taken any time within the five-year cycle. 50 credits will be awarded for passing the exam.

Journal Editors: Journal editor or article reviewer may submit documentation for proof of articles reviewed within their respective CE cycle period. 2.5 CEs will be awarded for each article with a completed review status with documentation provided as outlined. (Adopted February 2011.)

Examples of Ineligible Continuing Education Activities:
Examples of educational activities that do not conform to the MDCB definition of continuing medical dosimetry education and will not be considered for approval are:

1. Attendance at departmental meetings, which are considered a requirement of employment. These include, but are not limited to, chart rounds, tumor boards, and ground rounds.
2. Business sessions of meetings sponsored by professional societies.
3. ‘Site visits’ at hospitals, clinics, and other institutions.
4. Equipment demonstrations and exhibits.
5. Educational sessions, which are not directly related to the practice of medical dosimetry.
6. Activities conducted for professional societies, which are non-educational in nature. Examples include serving in positions such as elected officer, board member, committee member, chairperson, or ad hoc participant.
7. Activities that have no mechanism for learning outcome measurements, such as reading professional journal articles that do not contain a post-test, posters or exhibits.
8. Presentations given by students.

Credit Assignment:
The following table provides a summary of the credits assigned to specific categories of continuing education activities. For more detailed information, please refer to the previous section.

New CMD Member Credit Accumulation

New CMDs will begin accumulating credits in January following the year the exam is taken. Any activities in which the CMD participates between the exam date and December 31 of the same calendar year cannot be applied to the first 5 year cycle. (For example, if a candidate writes the exam in June 2009 and attends the ASRT conference in the fall of 2009, those credits will not be counted towards the 50 credits for the initial five year cycle.)

Audit Policy
(Revised November 2011)

It is required to upload proof of attendance at the time of submission of the CE credit. The proof of attendance will be verified before credit is granted. MDCB HQ will forward a notice to all CMDs who are within the final quarter of their CE cycle and have not achieved the five year/50 credits needed to maintain certification.

Temporarily Disabled CMD Policy

1. Certified Medical Dosimetrists (CMD) who are temporarily disabled and therefore unable to be employed as a medical dosimetrist or to complete required continuing education (CE) to maintain CMD status may apply for temporarily disabled status in writing addressed to the MDCB Maintenance of Certification Chair and must complete an appeals form.

2. Verification of disabled status by a licensed physician must be provided.

3. The CMD will be required to sign an agreement not to engage to any extent whatsoever in the provision of medical dosimetry services during the disabled status period.

4. During the period of disabled status, the CMD must continue to maintain the CMD credential fee.

5. If during the disabled status period, the CMD is unable to complete the five-year/50 credits requirement, an extension of time to complete the requirement shall be provided. The length of any such extension of time shall be at the discretion of the MDCB Board of Directors. Any extension of time due to temporary disability shall not impact the CMD’s next following five-year period for completion of an additional 50 CE credits.

6. Verification by a licensed physician of ability to return to employment will be required.

7. Temporarily disabled CMDs who are granted extensions under this policy but who fail to complete the CE requirement by the extension date shall have their certification revoked and will be required to retake and pass the CMD certification examination and meet all other eligibility requirements in order to regain CMD status.

Lapsed Credential for Non-payment of Fee Policy
(Revised March 2012)

Certification renewal fees must be submitted by December 31 of each calendar year. Renewal fees submitted after December 31 will be subject to a $50 late fee. Failure to submit the renewal and penalty fees by March 1 of any calendar year will result in loss of the CMD credential. A CMD whose credential has lapsed can apply for reinstatement in writing to the MOC Chair if the period of lapse is greater than two weeks. CMDs will be considered for reinstatement based on the following criteria:

*Any additional continuing education credits submitted during the payment lapsed period will not count toward the CE cycle minimum.

Decisions made by the MOC Chair may be appealed, in writing, to the MDCB Board of Directors c/o the President. Decisions of the MDCB Board of Directors are final.

Lapsed Credential for CE Non-compliance Policy
(Revised March 2012)

Along with being registered each year, every five years, a CMD must show proof of continuing knowledge and skills by documenting 50 continuing education credits. Any CMD who is not compliant with all continuing education credit by the end of the CE cycle will be reinstated based on the following criteria:

Download the Appeals Form.

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