The Beginning
CIP® Recertification by Continuing Education Credit
September 2024
The process to recertify by continuing education credit can seem like just another task to add to the growing list of deadlines to be met. Recertification is often put out of your mind until the deadline approaches and the reminders start popping up in your email. Before you know it, suddenly it is time to scramble to dot I’s and cross T’s!
Let’s take a pause and go back to where it all started. Remember when you decided to set yourself apart as a research ethics professional? Maybe your employer mandated certification as a job requirement? Regardless of your reason for pursuing the Certified IRB Professional (CIP®) certification, you knew it was going to require maintenance and continued learning to stay on top of the latest research ethics regulations.
Think back to the first time that you studied and sat to take the CIP® examination. After 3 hours and a hundred questions later, you passed! Great news! In the whirlwind following your successful exam, you received your certification details, which include the expiration date: you are a Certified IRB Professional for the next three years. You think to yourself, “Okay, I have three years to fulfill recertification requirements, I will worry about that later.”
Throughout the certification period, you attend webinars, conferences, trainings, and other opportunities that pertain to your work. Many continuing education credits can be found on Education at PRIM&R. PRIM&R members have access to free webinars and learning opportunities, many of which carry CIP® continuing education credits.
You are now on your way to gathering enough credits to recertify by continuing education, all because you are staying current in your field. Without even realizing it, you set yourself up for success! Just remember to keep track of the eligible continuing education credits you have collected, along with saving the certificates of attendance or other proof that you attended, as this will be required documentation for your application!
About CIP® Recertification
CIPs must recertify every three years. Recertification must be accomplished prior to the certification expiration date to avoid a lapse. If the lapse in certification is greater than six months, a CIP® must take and pass the examination in order to recertify. You must maintain a current certification if you wish to continue using the CIP® credential after your name.
Recertification may be achieved by completing 30 hours of eligible continuing education (CE) hours as described in the CIP® recertification guidelines and submitting a CIP® recertification by CE application and CE tracker.
CIPs may recertify by continuing education twice in a nine-year period before being required to recertify by examination. Once an individual maintains their certification for over ten consecutive years, they may recertify solely through continuing education and do not need to sit for the examination.
For guidance on submitting a recertification application, watch this short video!