Guide to Maintaining Your Certification

Since ABC grants certification in orthotics, prosthetics, pedorthics and mastectomy, only educational programs specifically related to the practice of those disciplines will be granted continuing education credits.

• Science credits are awarded to activities that are clinically or technically based
• Business credits are awarded to activities designed to improve various aspects of facility management

In order to help you identify appropriate and applicable continuing education opportunities, ABC created Category I and Category II credit designations.

Category I Credits

Category I continuing education opportunities are education opportunities that have been pre-approved by ABC for relevance to your specific credential (i.e. within your scope of practice). The programs must have qualified presenters or instructors and provide clear and concise learning outcomes.

• Only approved education providers can apply for credit for this category.
• Education providers are required to submit proof of attendance to ABC at the conclusion of their course or program and must do so within 30 days of the course.
• Once ABC receives the program sign-in sheets, we post the credits directly to your continuing education record within one to two weeks after the information is received.
• For programs containing both morning and afternoon sessions, credits are awarded per session. It is your responsibility to sign both the morning and afternoon sign-in sheets to ensure that you receive the maximum credits available for the program and to provide the sponsor with your certification number.

How can you be sure that a course is Category I for your credential?

The only way to be certain that a course is Category I and relevant to your credential is to view the courses on ABCop.org. Make certain that you select your discipline (e.g. orthotic fitter). The courses in that search will be Category I for you.

Category II Credits

There are two types of Category II credit opportunities — preapproved Category I courses that are OUTSIDE of your scope of practice or NOT preapproved. For example, a C.Ped. attending a preapproved ABC course that falls within the scope of practice of a CP will receive Category II credit, while the CP will receive Category I credits. In this scenario, the education provider is responsible for reporting the names of all participants to ABC, both Category I and II.

For non-preapproved courses, such as courses and activities that do not appear on the ABCop.org website, you may report your Category II credits (along with the appropriate documentation) via your MY ABC account to receive credits for that activity. Simply log in to your account and click the Report my Category II Credits link under the My Certifications section.

You must provide appropriate documentation such as:

• Certificate or letter from the education provider stating the number of hours and date of the course or presentation
• Copy of published article in a peer-reviewed journal

You must submit your Category II applications within 60 days of completion of the continuing education program or activity. Processing can take up to two weeks.

Please review your continuing education statement online to verify that your credits have been processed. This can be done by logging on to your MY ABC account with your Login ID and password.

The maximum number of Category II Science and/or Business credits allowable toward the renewal of your credential can be found in the Continuing Education Requirements section of this publication.

Category II Examples

Teaching/Presenting

If you are a lecturer or presenter on a college course, conference or seminar, you will receive one credit per hour of presentation. You can earn a maximum of four credits per year for this activity.

Lecturers cannot sign-in for their own courses and be awarded attendee credits. You can earn a maximum of four credits per year for lecturing.

College Courses

Credits for college courses are based on the relevance to the profession and you must receive a passing grade in order to be awarded credits. Upon completion of the course, submit a copy of your transcript and the number of credits awarded will correspond to the number of college credits earned. This applies to both graduate and undergraduate courses.

Allied Health or Medical Seminars and Clinics

You can receive credit for Basic Life Support, HIPAA Policy updates and other courses related to medical compliance. Credits correspond to the number of content hours.

 

Published Articles

You will receive one credit for each full page of text, excluding references, appendices, etc., for a published article. Your article must be published in a peer-reviewed journal but is not limited to orthotic, prosthetic or pedorthic publications. A copy of the published article must accompany your credit request. You can earn a maximum of five credits per year for this activity.

Humanitarian/Volunteer Work

You can receive recognition for your profession-related humanitarian or volunteer work either in the United States or abroad. In order to apply for credits, you must document your clinical, educational or technical involvement. You can earn a maximum of five credits per year.

Resident Supervision

You can receive credits for training, evaluating and mentoring residents as recognition for your promotion and enhancement of the profession. Eligibility is dependent on completing an online form with NCOPE. You can earn a maximum of four credits per year for this activity.

Exhibit Hall Credits

You can earn credits for exhibit hall attendance if the meeting or conference has been pre-approved for Category I credits and there is a minimum of 15 exhibitors. Credits are earned as follows:

• Large Conferences — 100+ exhibitors = 3 credits
• Medium Conferences — 50-100 exhibitors = 2 credits
• Small Conferences — 15-49 exhibitors = 1 credit

In order to receive these credits, you must submit a Category II Exhibit Hall Attendance application or participate in a conference sponsored Passbook activity. You can only earn three Category II Exhibit Hall Attendance credits per year. Forms are available at the ABC booth (if we are exhibiting) and at ABCop.org.

Product Demonstrations

If you participate in a product demonstration by a manufacturer representative, you are eligible to receive one credit per hour. The company representative  must provide you with a document verifying the date, location and duration of the event. This document must be submitted to ABC along with your Category II Application. A maximum of two credits can be earned per year for product demonstrations by an in-house vendor.