title: Certification in molecular pathology in the United States: an update from the Association for Molecular Pathology Training and Education Committee.
abstract: The past 25 years have witnessed the field of molecular pathology evolving from an imprecisely defined discipline to a firmly established medical subspecialty that plays an essential role in patient care. During this time, the training, certification, and licensure requirements for directing and performing testing in a molecular pathology or molecular diagnostics laboratory have become better defined. The purpose of this document is to describe the various board certifications available to individuals seeking certification in molecular diagnostics at the level of laboratory director, supervisor, or technologist. Several national organizations offer certification in molecular pathology or molecular diagnostics for doctoral-level clinical scientists to function as the director of a molecular diagnostics laboratory. Furthermore, 12 states and Puerto Rico require licensing of medical technologists, including those working in molecular diagnostic laboratories. The information provided here updates a 2002 document by the Training and Education Committee of the Association for Molecular Pathology and has been expanded to include certification and licensing requirements for laboratory technologists.
authors.affiliation: Association for Molecular Pathology Training and Education Committee, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. amackinnon@mcw.edu
authors.forename: Alexander C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Mackinnon
authors.forename: Y Lynn
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Amrik
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sahota
authors.forename: Cecilia C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Weck
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification; D006801:Humans; D008004:Licensure; D057089:Pathology, Molecular / Q000193:education*; D013044:Specialty Boards