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ESCCA Certification exam

Introduction

ESCCA is committed to promote high quality education in Cytometry. Since its foundation, ESCCA has fostered its own continuous Educational Program, coordinated by ESCCA Board and Scientific Committees. In addition, ESCCA collaborates with other institutions in the diffusion of educational activities of relevance in Cytometry and related fields.

The ESCCA Education, Certification & Quality Assessment Committee is aware of the technical complexity and constant evolution of cytometry instrumentation and its applications, requiring constant training and education. These issues have been covered traditionally by the Education Activities incorporated in the ESCCA Conferences and, by the ESCCA International and Local Schools on Cytometry.

The final goal of the educational efforts of ESCCA is to help ESCCA members, and especially the young ones, to attain excellence in their work in cytometry, be it in the clinical or in the basic fields. In order to provide our members with a means to certify their knowledge and skill in clinical flow cytometry, the ESCCA Education, Certification & Quality Assessment Committee provides the European Cytometry Certificate.

ESCCA European Cytometry Certification Examination

The European Cytometry Certificate has two levels of certification:

  • Level 1: The European Certificate for Cytometry Operators
  • Level 2: The European Certificate for Cytometry Specialists - Hemato-oncology

Both European Certificates are available for ESCCA members only.

The fee for the examination and certification is € 100 (price level 2023).

The examination will be proceeded online through the Moodle platform of the ESCCA website anytime during the year, except during international public holidays, from Monday - Friday between 09.00 - 16.00 hrs. CET. Please see 'Application' for further details.

Please note that the Certification will expire after three years. Reinstatement of certification before the date of expiration is free of charge upon proof of continuous education and practice in flow cytometry from an approved educational institution or other entitled authority. The proof should be addressed to the ESCCA Exam Committee and emailed to membership@escca.eu

For reinstatement of certification after the date of expiration but no more than 5 years, submission of an application for certificate reinstatement and a completed declaration form documenting all continuing education earned within the previous years is required. The reinstatement fee is 50 euros, for which an invoice will be sent. Reinstatement of expired certificate for more than 5 years is not possible. In such cases youwill be required to retake and pass the certification examination in order to reinstate their certification. 

1st level

European Certificate for Cytometry Operators

This first level of certification may be attained after evaluation of the candidate’s knowledge about basic flow cytometry.

Application conditions

Candidates should demonstrate a minimum of three years of experience in flow cytometry. The candidate´s experience should be attested by the director of the employing facility or other entitled authority. This proof should be uploaded in the online application form. 

Rules
  1. The European Certificate for Cytometry Operators is available for ESCCA members only.
  2. The examination language is English.
  3. The fee for the examination and certification is € 100 (price level 2023).
  4. Candidates should demonstrate a minimum of three years of experience in flow cytometry. The candidate's experience should be attested by the director of the employing facility or other entitled authority.
  5. The examination consists of 100 multiple choice questions and will last a maximum of 2 hours.
  6. The examination will be considered as passed if at least 60 questions are answered correctly.   
  7. The content of the examination and examples of questions are described in the Guidelines which you can download here below. 
  8. Candidates who successfully pass the examination will receive a certificate and will be named on a dedicated page of ESCCA website and, when convenient, in the site of ESCCA-affiliated society.
  9. Certification will expire after three years and can be renewed upon proof of  continuous education and practice in flow cytometry from an approved educational institution or other entitled authority.
Guidelines

To prepare for the exam, please download and read the ESCCA Certificate Guidelines for Cytometry Operators. This manual also includes suggestions for educational resources.

To apply for the exam, please see further below.

2nd level

European Certificate for Cytometry Specialists

This second level of certification may be attained after evaluation of skills and knowledge of the candidate about clinical flow cytometry-hemato-oncology.  Certification consists of a written examination, analysis/interpretation of practical cases and revision of the candidate’s CV by the ESCCA Education and Accreditation Committee.

Application conditions
  1. Baccalaureate and/or Master degree and/or Doctorate from an accredited/approved educational institution in biological/lifeT science, physics, engineering or an appropriately related field;
  2. European Certification for Cytometry Operators;
  3. Minimum of three years acceptable laboratory experience in cytometry (clinical, research, industry or veterinary) in a laboratory accredited under ISO 15189, by JCI, CAP or authorized by a governing regulatory association or Ministry.
Rules
  1. The European Certificate for Cytometry Specialists - Hemato-oncology is available for ESCCA members only.
  2. The examination language is English.
  3. The fee for the examination and certification is €100 (price level 2023) and must be settled upon registration.
  4. Eligible candidates should demonstrate a minimum of three years acceptable laboratory experience in clinical cytometry in an accredited/approved laboratory under ISO 15189, by JCI, CAP or authorized by a governing regulatory association or Ministry. A CV as well as an official attestation of the number of years of experience, issued by the director of the employing facility or other entitled authority, should both be uploaded in the online registration form.
  5. The examination consists of 100 multiple choice questions, analysis/interpretation of 3 practical cases and will last two hours.
  6. The examination will be considered as passed if at least 60 questions are correctly answered including the practical cases.
  7. The contents of the examination and examples of questions are described later in the Guidelines which you can download here below.
  8. Candidates who successfully pass the examination will receive a certificate stating their status and will be enlisted in a special page in the ESCCA website site and, when convenient, in the site of the ESCCA-affiliated society.
  9. Certification will expire after three years, and can be renewed upon proof of continuous education and/or practice in cytometry, according to the guidelines for ESCCA certification renewal.
Guidelines

To prepare for the exam, please download and read the ESCCA Certificate Guidelines for Cytometry Specialists - Hemato-oncology This manual also includes suggestions for educational resources.

application

How to register for the exam
  1. Please access the online registration form for the exam you wish to take (Level 1 or Level 2) via the appropriate button here below.
  2. Check your personal details. Note that if any changes are to be made, you need to do this in your membership profile, not in the registration form!
  3. Select two dates & times for the exam: the preferred date and a back-up date.The exam can take place from Monday - Friday between 09.00 - 16.00 hrs. CET. All international public holidays are excluded. The exam should take place from 1 month after submission of the registration form; earlier dates will not be accepted. Confirmation of the date is subject to the availability of the exam supervisors. The final date will be confirmed in the notification of acceptance.
  4. Upload the official attestation of the number of years of experience, issued by the director of the employing facility or other entitled authority. If you take the Level 2 exam, you should also upload your CV. 
  5. The registration fee of €100 can be paid by iDeal (Dutch candidates only) or credit card.
  6. After submission of the registration you will receive an email notification that the application process was succesful. A receipt of payment will be sent to you with a separate email. Please check your spam folder if you have not received these emails within 10 minutes after submission and payment of the registration.
Revision of your application and notification of acceptance or rejection

Your application will be reviewed by the ESCCA Education and Accreditation Committee. You will receive a notification of acceptance or rejection by email within 2 weeks after submission of your registratiion. The notification will include further instructions on how to access the examination platform. 

In case the application is rejected, the registration fee will be reimbursed.

Please note that if you fail the exam, the registration fee cannot be reimbursed.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The personal information supplied in connection with your application will be held by ESCCA as a record of candidates. By registering for the examiniation the parties concerned are agreeing that ESCCA may:

  • use that personal information to contact you by email or telephone, in order to supply information relevant to the examinations
  • publish your name, afiiliation, city, country and exam date and level on the ESCCA certified cytometrists page of ESCCA website and, when convenient, in the site of ESCCA-affiliated society.
Terms of use

By accessing and completing the online registration form you agree to all the terms and conditions mentioned on this webpage and in the Guidelines.

Level 1 - registration form
Level 2 - registration form

Questions?

Questions about the CONTENT of the Examination?

Iuri Marinov
Iuri.Marinov@uhkt.cz 

Questions about the PRACTICAL aspects?

Babette Schmidt
ESCCA Membership Office
membership@escca.eu