Newswatch: May 2006

Summer and Fall CRA exam dates announced

The American Healthcare Radiology Administrators (AHRA of Sudbury, Mass) has announced the dates for the summer and fall 2006 Certified Radiology Administrator (CRA) examination.

The CRA exam will be administered in a paper-and-pencil format during AHRA's 34th Annual Meeting on August 3 in Las Vegas. Applications for the August exam are due by June 19. For those who wish to take the exam in a computer-based format, it will be administered November 10 at approximately 110 CompUSA Testing Centers located in 36 states. Applications for the November exam are due by September 26.

Eligibility is based on a point system, with seven points needed to sit for the exam. Points are earned through education, experience, and/or credentials. Experience is defined as management, supervisory, or administrative experience in radiology or medical imaging with responsibility for three of these five management areas (domains): human resource management, asset resource management, communications and information management, fiscal management, and operations management. Applicants must have at least one point earned through education or have a minimum of 10 years' experience without an education point. Experience is related to human radiology only.

Approximately 30% of the 185 questions on the test are based on knowledge, 40% are based on application skills, and 30% are based on analysis. The exam is scored on a pass/fail basis. All candidates who take the exam will receive a diagnostic report that shows how they fared in each management area. After successfully completing the examination, CRAs must submit 36 CME credits and pay a $150 renewal every 3 years to maintain their credential.

The cost for the exam is $300 plus a $50 application fee to verify eligibility. Exam applications are available online at www.ahraonline.org or by calling the AHRA office at (800) 334-2472.