Clinical Laboratory Technology

Cytotechnologist License Requirements

General Requirements

The practice of cytotechnology and the use of the title "cytotechnologist" require licensure, unless otherwise exempt under the law.

To be licensed as a cytotechnologist in New York State you must:

• be of good moral character;
• be at least 18 years of age;
• meet education requirements (unless you are licensed by grandparenting method two);
• meet examination requirements (unless you are licensed by grandparenting); and
• meet experience requirements (for licensure by grandparenting only).

You must file an application for licensure and the other forms indicated, along with the appropriate fee, to the Office of the Professions at the address specified on each form. It is your responsibility to follow up with anyone you have asked to send us material.

The specific requirements for licensure are contained in Title 8, Article 165 of New York's Education Law and Subpart 79-14 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. Copies of the relevant sections of NYS Education Law and the Commissioner's Regulations are also available upon request by e-mailing opforms@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 320.

You should also read the general licensing information applicable for all professions.

Fees

The licensure and first registration fee is $345.

The limited permit fee is $50.

Fees are subject to change. The fee due is the one in law when your application is received (unless fees are increased retroactively). You will be billed for the difference if fees have been increased.

• Do not send cash.
• Make your personal check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department. Your cancelled check is your receipt.
• Mail your application and fee to:

  NYS Education Department
  Office of the Professions
  PO Box 22063
  Albany, NY 12201

Partial Refunds

Individuals who withdraw their licensure application may be entitled to a partial refund.

• For the procedure to withdraw your application, contact the Cytotechnology Unit by e-mailing opunit6@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 592 or by faxing 518-402-2323.
• The State Education Department is not responsible for any fees paid to an outside testing or credentials verification agency.

If you withdraw your application, obtain a refund, and then decide to seek New York State licensure at a later date, you will be considered a new appicant, and you will be required to pay the licensure and registration fees and meet the licensure requirements in place at the time you reapply.

Definitions of Common Terms

Accredited (or accredited by an acceptable accrediting agency) means accredited by an organization accepted by the Department as a reliable authority for the purpose of accrediting cytotetchnology programs on a national or regional basis, as having reasonable accreditation standards, and as an organization that applies its criteria for granting accreditation of programs in a fair, consistent and nondiscriminatory manner.

Blood bank means a facility for the collection, processing, storage and/or distribution of human blood, blood components or blood derivatives.

Clinical laboratory technology means the performance of microbiological, virological, serological, chemical, immunohematological, hematological, biophysical, cytogenetical, cytological or histological procedures and examinations and any other test or procedure conducted by a laboratory as defined by title five of article five of the public health law, on material derived from the human body which provides information for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a disease or assessment of a human medical condition.

Cytotechnologist means a clinical laboratory practitioner who, pursuant to established and approved protocols of the Department of Health, performs cytological procedures and examination and any other such tests including maintaining equipment and records and performing quality assurance activities related to examination performance, and which require the excersise of independent judgement and responsibility, as determined by the Department.

Director of a Clinical Laboratory means the person who is responsible for administration of the technical and scientific operation of a clinical laboratory or blood bank, including supervision of procedures and reporting of findings of tests.

Pathways to Licensure

Pathways to licensure for Cytotechnology include:

• The special provisions (grandparenting): This will generally apply to those practicing in their fields for at least two years. Applicants may meet special provisions including experience and/or education to be licensed without examination.
• The transition pathway: This will apply to those who have recently graduated or who are currently in educational programs.
• The standard pathway: This will generally apply to those who will attend a program registered as licensure qualifying and then apply for licensure.

There are three Pathways to apply for a New York State cytotechnologist license - Grandparenting, Transition and Standard - encompassing six methods by which applicants may apply. You must select the Method you will use and verify that you meet the requirements. You must indicate the method number at the top of your Application for Licensure (Form 1).

(Note: This pathway is only available until September 1, 2007.)

Grandparenting provisions provide a pathway to licensure for individuals who meet alternative requirements prior to specified dates without having to pass an examination for licensure that is required under the transition pathway and the standard pathway. This pathway to licensure will generally apply to those with experience practicing in their fields for at least two years.

To be eligible for licensure under grandparenting, you must file an Application for Licensure (Form 1) and pay the license and first registration fee prior to September 1, 2007, be at least 18 years of age, be of good moral character, and meet the other specified requirements by the dates indicated.

If you file Form 1 of your application and the appropriate fee by September 1, 2007 and certify in good faith that you have, or will have, met the requirements for licensure under the grandparenting method you choose by the specified date, but no later than September 1, 2008, you will be able to practice as a cytotechnologist from the date you file the application with the Department until the Department acts on your application.

Subsequent to filing your Form 1 and fee, you must provide documentation of having met all other requirements for licensure on the appropriate forms.

Use this method if you:

• have successfully performed the duties of a cytotechnologist for two years (at least 2,880 clock hours) during the period from September 1, 2001 through August 31, 2006 ; and
• will, by September 1, 2008, meet a transition pathway education requirement or a standard pathway education requirement for licensure as a licensed cytotechnologist (see "Transition Pathway Education Requirements" and "Standard Pathway Education Requirements").

You must submit, or have submitted on your behalf, the following items and forms to document you meet these requirements.

• Form 1 and $345 Fee
• Form 2
• Form 3 (only if you hold, or ever held, a professional license/certificate outside of NYS)
• Form 4
• Form 4A

Use this method if you hold a Certificate of Qualification to practice as a cytotechnologist that was issued by the City of New York Department of Health prior to 1995.

The Education Department has a list of certificates issued by the City of New York Department of Health that will be used to verify the information you submit regarding your Certificate of Qualification.

You must submit, or have submitted on your behalf, the following items and forms to document you meet these requirements.

• Form 1 and $345 Fee
• Form 3 (only if you hold, or ever held, a professional license/certificate outside of NYS)
• A copy of your Certificate of Qualification.

(Note: This pathway is only available until September 1, 2011.)

If you do not meet any of the grandparenting pathway requirements, you may be eligible for licensure under one of the two transition methods described below. This pathway to licensure will generally apply to those who have recently graduated or who are currently in educational programs.

If you meet the appropriate transition pathway education requirements prior to September 1, 2011, you will have met the education requirement for licensure. If you meet all other requirements for licensure, except the examination for licensure, you will be eligible for a limited permit authorizing you to practice for one year to enable you to take the examination for licensure. Limited permits are effective for one year and may be renewed for one additional year for good cause as determined by the Department.

Transition Pathway Education Requirements

Use this method if you received a baccalaureate or higher degree in cytotechnology or a related title that:

1. prepares graduates for employment as a cytotechnologist; and
2. contains didactic and clinical education that integrates pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical components of laboratory services, including the principles and practices of quality assurance/quality improvement, and that is designed and conducted to prepare graduates to practice cytotechnology using independent judgment and responsibility; and
3. meets one of the following requirements:
   • is registered by the Department for general educational purposes but need not be specifically registered for licensure purposes, including the approximately 70 programs that are registered with the Department that have prepared graduates for employment in this profession, OR
   • is accredited by an accrediting agency acceptable to the Department, such as the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), or the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), or other acceptable organizations that accredit educational programs. PLEASE NOTE: This does not include private membership organizations which may, or may not, offer examinations and list individuals for areas of general or specialty practice, OR
   • is recognized by the appropriate civil authorities of the jurisdiction in which the program is offered as a program that prepares the applicant for professional practice as a cytotechnologist.

You must submit, or have submitted on your behalf, the following items and forms to document you meet these requirements.

• Form 1 and $345 Fee
• Form 2
• Form 3 (only if you hold, or ever held, a professional license/certificate outside of NYS)
• Form 5 and $50 Fee (if you intend to practice in NYS under the general supervision of a Clinical Laboratory Director after you meet the education requirement and before you pass the licensing examination)
• Licensure Examination Score Report (see "Examination Requirements")

Use this method if you:

1. Received a baccalaureate or higher degree with a major in biology, chemistry, or the physical sciences registered by the Department or determined by the Department to be the substantial equivalent of such a program; and
2. Completed a program that:
   1. prepares graduates for employment as a cytotechnologist;
   2. contains didactic and clinical education that integrates pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical components of laboratory services, including the principles and practices of quality assurance/quality improvement, and that is designed and conducted to prepare graduates to practice cytotechnology using independent judgment and responsibility; and
   3. meets one of the following requirements:
      • is registered by the Department for general educational purposes but need not be specifically registered for licensure purposes, including the approximately 70 programs that are registered with the Department that have prepared graduates for employment in this profession, OR
      • is accredited by an accrediting agency acceptable to the Department, such as the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), or the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), or other acceptable organizations that accredit educational programs. PLEASE NOTE: This does not include private membership organizations which may, or may not, offer examinations and list individuals for areas of general or specialty practice, OR
      • is recognized by the appropriate civil authorities of the jurisdiction in which the program is offered as a program that prepares the applicant for professional practice as a cytotechnologist.

You must submit, or have submitted on your behalf, the following items and forms to document you meet these requirements.

• Form 1 and $345 Fee
• Form 2
• Form 3 (only if you hold, or ever held, a professional license/certificate outside of NYS)
• Form 5 and $50 Fee (if you intend to practice in NYS under the general supervision of a Clinical Laboratory Director after you meet the education requirement and before you pass the licensing examination)
• Licensure Examination Score Report (see "Examination Requirements")

Individuals who do not qualify for licensure through grandparenting or the transition pathways should apply for licensure through the standard pathway. This pathway to licensure will generally apply to those who will attend a program registered as licensure qualifying and then apply for licensure.

Standard Pathway Education Requirements

Use this method if you received a baccalaureate or higher degree:

• from a cytotechnology program registered by the Department as licensure qualifying; or
• from a program in cytotechnology or a related title that is determined by the Department to be the substantial equivalent of a registered program in cytotechnology that is accredited by an acceptable accrediting agency or recognized by the appropriate civil authorities of the jurisdiction in which the program is offered as a program that prepares individuals for professional practice as a cytotechnologist, and is designed and conducted by the degree-granting institution to prepare graduates to practice as cytotechnologists using independent judgment and responsibility.

You must submit, or have submitted on your behalf, the following items and forms to document you meet these requirements.

• Form 1 and $345 Fee
• Form 2
• Form 3 (only if you hold, or ever held, a professional license/certificate outside of NYS)
• Form 5 and $50 Fee (if you intend to practice in NYS under the general supervision of a clinical laboratory director after you meet the education requirement and before you pass the licensing examination)
• Licensure Examination Score Report (see "Examination Requirements")

Use this method if you:

1. received a baccalaureate or higher degree awarded upon successful completion of a baccalaureate or higher degree program with a major in biology, chemistry, or the physical sciences registered by the Department or be determined by the Department to be the substantial equivalent of such program; and
2. completed an advanced certificate from a credit bearing program in cytotechnology that is registered as licensure qualifying for licensure as a cytotechnologist or the substantial equivalent of such program.

You must submit, or have submitted on your behalf, the following items and forms to document you meet these requirements.

• Form 1 and $345 Fee
• Form 2
• Form 3 (only if you hold, or ever held, a professional license/certificate outside of NYS)
• Form 5 and $50 Fee (if you intend to practice in NYS under the general supervision of a Clinical Laboratory Director after you meet the education requirement and before you pass the licensing examination)
• Licensure Examination Score Report (see "Examination Requirements")

Substantial Equivalence

For a program to be determined substantially equivalent to a registered cytotechnology program, it must:

1. be a program in cytotechnology leading to a baccalaureate or higher degree or advanced certificate which contains didactic and clinical education that integrates pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical components of laboratory services, including the principles and practices of quality assurance/quality improvement; and which is designed to prepare graduates to practice cytotechnology using independent judgment and responsibility; and
2. include courses, each of which shall include a laboratory component, in each of the following subjects or their equivalent as determined by the department: and;
   1. inorganic chemistry;
   2. organic chemistry;
   3. anatomy and physiology;
   4. cell biology;
   5. human genetics;
   6. immunology;
   7. clinical microbiology;
   8. cytopathology, including but not limited to, female genital tract, respiratory tract, gastro-intestinal and genitourinary tracts, body fluids, evaluation of specimens from washes and brushes of all body sites, and evaluation of specimens form fine needle aspiration biopsies of all body sites;
   9. cytopreparatory techniques, including but not limited to, preparation, staining and processing of body samples; and
   10. microscopic evaluation and interpretation of cytopathology of the sample types and body systems identified in 8 above; and
3. include curricular content in each of the following subjects or their equivalent as determined by the Department:
   1. mathematics and statistics;
   2. infection control and universal precautions;
   3. the maintenance of equipment and records, and
   4. ethics; and
4. include a supervised clinical experience of at least 30 hours per week for at least 10 weeks or its equivalent as determined by the department, in the practice of cytotechnology.

Additional Educational Requirements

For all pathways to licensure, except for those who are applying under Method 2, in addition to meeting the specified education requirements, you must also certify that you have reviewed the laws, rules and regulations of the New York State Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services listed below, relating to practice as a cytotechnologist in New York State. By signing your Application for Licensure (Form 1), you will be certifying that you are generally familiar with the specified rules and regulations and where to locate specific information you may need; you are not required to have a detailed knowledge of all the material.

Applicants should be familiar with the following general rules and regulations of any clinical laboratory, as well as rules and standards of specific relevance to areas of testing and reporting in which they are or expect to be engaged.

New York State Public Health Law and Regulations

The laws, rules and regulations listed below can be accessed at www.wadsworth.org/labcert/regaffairs/RAindex.htm

• Article V, Title V Clinical Laboratory and Blood Banking Services
• Article 31 Human Blood and Transfusion Services
• Article 27F HIV and AIDS Related Information
• Article V, Title VI Laboratory Business Practices
• Section 79.1 of the New York State Civil Rights Law, Confidentiality of Genetic Testing
• Part 19 of 10 (NYCRR) Clinical Laboratory Directors
• Subpart 34-2 of 10 (NYCRR) Laboratory Business Practices
• Subpart 58-1 of 10 (NYCRR) Clinical Laboratories (See 58.12 and 58.13 for requirements related to cytopathology and cytotechnology)
• Subpart 58-2 of 10 (NYCRR) Blood Banking
• Subpart 58-8 of 10 (NYCRR) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Testing
• Subpart 63 of 10 (NYCRR) AIDS/HIV Testing, Reporting and Confidentiality

Federal Laws and Regulations

The laws and regulations listed below can be accessed at www.cms.hhs.gov/clia/

• Current CLIA Regulations
• Part 493 Laboratory Requirements

Examination Requirements

Licensure in New York State as a cytotechnologist requires successful completion of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Registry examination for Cytotechnology.

You must submit the ASCP/Board of Registry State Licensure Application and the appropriate fee directly to ASCP for the examination. You will receive an admission letter with a phone number from the ASCP Board of Registry for scheduling your appointment to take the examination. You should schedule an appointment to take the examination within the assigned three month examination period. More information regarding these examinations can be found at www.ascp.org/FunctionalNavigation/certification/GetStateLicensure.aspx or by calling ASCP at 312-541-4999.

If you took and passed the Cytotechnology examination after September 1, 2001 for certification or licensure purposes, you may not have to retake the examination. To have your previous passing score submitted to New York State you may either:

• authorize the ASCP to send a copy of your score report to the Division of Professional Licensing Services. Send your request in writing with a fee of $15.00 to ASCP/Board of Registry, 3335 Eagle Way, Chicago, IL 60678-4066. ASCP has indicated that score reports are processed and mailed from that office within 7-10 business days; or
• go to www.degreechk.com/ASCP.html and process a Verification of Certification online for $12.50 payable by credit card. A Verification of Certification will be sent to you by e-mail. You must then e-mail a copy of this verification or the confirmation number to julie.mueller@ascp.org with your request to have your score report mailed to the Division of Professional Licensing Services. ASCP has indicated that these requests are processed and mailed from that office within 2-3 business days.

If you have any questions regarding examination eligibility, please call the Clinical Laboratory Technology Unit at 518-474-3817 ext. 592.

Reasonable Testing Accommodations

For specific information about reasonable testing accommodations for the ASCP exam, contact the ASCP at:

American Society for Clinical Pathology/Board of Registry
3335 Eagle Way
Chicago, IL 60678-4066
Phone: 312-541-4999
Fax: 312-541-4845
E-mail: bor@ascp.org
Web: www.ascp.org

Limited Permits

A limited permit authorizes an individual who has met all requirements for licensure as a cytotechnologist, except the licensing examination, to practice as a cytotechnologist under the general supervision of the director of a clinical laboratory.

The limited permit is valid for one year. The permit may be extended for one additional year if the applicant can document good cause, such as, a specific physical or mental disability certified by an appropriate health care professional or other good cause which, in the judgment of the Department, made it impossible for the applicant to complete the examination required for licensure.

You may apply for a limited permit by submitting the Application for Limited Permit (Form 5) and limited permit fee of $50 at the same time or any time after you submit you Application for Licensure (Form 1), licensure and first registration fee of $345, and evidence of satisfactory education.