Qualification Criteria

To apply for recertification through continuing education, a total of 32 contact hours of continuing education (CE) related to Trauma Registry practice must be submitted for consideration. A minimum of 32 contact hours must fall within the following areas of (I) Data Management, (II) Conditions of Injuries, (III) Coding and Scoring Concepts, and (IV) Registry Issues. It is highly recommended that applicants complete 8 hours in each category. All CEs must have been completed during the four years prior to the candidate’s certification renewal date, with a minimum of eight (8) CEs completed during the 12 months prior to the recertification date. These CEs may be accumulated in any combination of the following:

• Continuing Education Programs: These may include workshops, seminars, professional development offerings, home-study courses, and state or national conferences. The CE provider/sponsor must be identified sufficiently to allow a reviewer to recognize the organization. Use state abbreviations, names of organization, names of hospital or college, etc. The applicant may be requested to show proof of number of hours for each CE completed.
• Academic Courses: Each individual academic credit will be considered as ten (10) CE hours. Courses may be undergraduate or graduate level and a transcript of successful completion may be requested.

All program information must be listed on the Application of Recertification of Certified Specialist in Trauma Registries (CSTR) through Continuing Education and must include date, program title, provider or sponsor, and number of CEs awarded.  Candidates must include documentation of all CE's awarded (These include, course certificates of completion, course syllabus, transcript and/or other certifying document).  Candidates will be notified of application evaluation within eight (8) weeks of the deadline date. If criteria are deemed fulfilled, a new four year certificate, effective the renewal date will be issued to the CSTR.

Recertification Process
All applications for recertification must be received 30 days prior to the expiration date.

Fees:
$100 - ATS Members
$165 - Non Members



Recertification may be denied for failure to meet criteria of 32 contact hours, falsification or misrepresentation of information, failure to apply before CSTR deadline, or failure to verify information when proper documentation is requested. All applications are subject to potential audit. Applications will be randomly selected for audit. Copies of certificates and/or transcripts are required. Selection of applications for audit will be made upon their receipt, and the candidate will receive written notice of the audit at that time.

The American Trauma Society provides the appeal mechanism for challenging the denial of recertification. It is the responsibility of the candidate to initiate the process in writing.  Please send formal request to challenge to the address above. 

If certification lapsed in 2015 a candidate must meet current eligibility requirements and take the certification examination for Trauma Registers.