CPIA Recertification

General Information

To maintain certification as an IACUC professional and continue using the CPIA credential, CPIAs must recertify every five years.

Recertification may be achieved either by:

  • Exam: Re-taking and passing the CPIA examination or
  • Continuing Education: Completing certain continuing education activities as described in the recertification guidelines and then completing the recertification application.

2018 Fees

The fee for either type of recertification is:

PRIM&R Member $335
Nonmember $450
Note: 2018 fees are in effect through December 31, 2018.

You must maintain a current certification if you wish to continue using the CPIA credential after your name.

Download Application Recertify by Examination

2018 Dates to Remember

Most Recent Certification Date Recertification Application
Due Date		 Certification Expiration Date
Spring 2013 Recert by exam: March 2, 2018 for spring testing period June 30, 2018
Recert by CE: March 31, 2018
Fall 2013 Recert by exam: August 31, 2018 December 31, 2018
Recert by CE: September 30, 2018

Recertification by Continuing Education

  • Activity content must cover topics related to IACUC administration, and be found within the Body of Knowledge/Content Outline.
  • Credit hours must be earned in at least two of the categories described below.
  • No more than 30 continuing education hours may be earned in a single category with the exception of the additional restrictions noted under 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.
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 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). Please contact [email protected] about how to document your site visit. 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 Formal college or university courses relevant to laboratory
animal welfare**		 15 per 3 credit course completed
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

* Effective date for site visitor service: January 1, 2015. All site visits conducted prior to January 1, 2015 will be assessed at 10 credit hours per site visit.

** Candidates must provide a copy of the course syllabus; a copy of the transcript proving successful completion of the course; a written explanation of the number of credits for which they are applying; and a written justification for how the course relates to the CPIA Body of Knowledge/Content Outline.

*** 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.

Which PRIM&R programs are eligible for CPIA® recertification credit?
 

Find out more
  • Individuals are responsible for obtaining source documentation (certificates, letters of attendance, etc.) for recertification credit and for retaining such documentation for at least three years following recertification.
  • Documentation for all continuing education credits must be included with the recertification application.
  • A continuing education tracker template is available to keep a record of continuing education credits.

Recertification by Continuing Education Application Submission Details

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

Individuals wishing to recertify by continuing education may submit their payment with their recertification application, with payment made out to PRIM&R. Completed application materials and payment can be submitted to PRIM&R via:

Please note: Payments requiring signature upon delivery cannot be sent to our payment address. If you need a signature upon receipt of payment, please send your application form to PRIM&R, 20 Park Plaza Suite 720, Boston, MA 02116.