Continuing Education Credits (CECs) are accumulated by attendance at recognized educational forums. Regularly scheduled (weekly, monthly) conferences such as, but not limited to, journal clubs, case conferences, or multidisciplinary team meetings are not eligible for the accumulation of CECs. These are considered part of the job responsibilities of genetic counsellors and are therefore considered to be included in Continuing Practice Credits (CPCs). Continuing education programs that do not relate directly to genetic counselling are not eligible for continuing education credits.
CECs are accrued at the rate of 1 credit per hour of educational session attended. No credits are granted for attendance of business meetings, committee meetings, poster sessions or social events at these meetings. Credits are granted only for educational or workshop sessions. Online educational courses will be considered for CECs provided that proof of attendance can be shown.
More details on the CECs approval process can be found in the CBGC-CCCG GUIDELINES FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION.
For conference organizers who are requesting CECs, we recommend that the Application for Approval of CECs be submitted to the Certification board at least 3 months prior* to the start of the conference. This will allow for the acceptance letter to be sent prior to the start of the conference as well as for the conference organiser to include the number of CECs in the conference program and/or the attendance certificate. The number of assigned CECs will also be noted on the Current CEC Assignment for Education Meetings. The conference is then considered a "Recognized Educational Session" for that time only. If the conference is held again the following year, the conference organizers would once again need to apply for CECs.
For applications received less than 3 months prior to the start of the conference, we cannot guarantee the receipt of the acceptance letter prior to the start of the conference.
Application fee structure for Conference Organizers:
Applications for unrecognized educational sessions need to be submitted to the Certification Board within 12 months following the end of the conference or online course. Applications submitted after this time frame will not be processed. We aim to send an acceptance letter to the individual within 3 months of the receipt of their application, listing the number of CECs assigned. That meeting or online course will then be approved for that individual only, and not for all conference attendees. Each individual is then required to maintain the original letter along with proof of attendance.
Please note: not all educational sessions that are approved for CEUs by the ABGC will necessarily be approved for CECs by the CBGC Certification Board as well.
More information about CECs can be found in the re-certification protocol here
If the conference you are attending has not applied for CECs, you may wish to encourage the organizers do to so. The Certification Board has drafted a template letter you may wish to modify and send to the conference organizers. It can be found here.
In 2015, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada published their Calls to Action. Call to action number 23 included a call to all levels of government to provide cultural competency training for all health-care professionals. While the CBGC is not a level of government, as the credentialling body for Canadian Genetic Counsellors, the Canadian Board of Genetic Counselling encourages Canadian Certified Genetic Counsellors (CCGC) to commit to ongoing education about Indigenous issues and rights in Canada. To be a culturally competent genetic counsellor in Canada, we must face our history of colonization and systemic oppression against the Indigenous peoples of Canada.
As such, the CBGC will grant free continuing education credits (CECs) for specific Canadian courses on Indigenous issues in the same manner that CECs are assigned to genetics-based courses to recognize our CCGCs’ commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. Courses eligible for CECs must have been completed after January 1, 2023.
More information about previously reviewed courses that would qualify for CECs through the CBGC can be found here. Please note that the CBGC does not have any affiliation with these courses and is not receiving any incentives for the promotion of these select courses. To request a course that hasn’t been reviewed, please contact CEC@cbgc-cccg.ca with information about your course of interest.
If you prefer to pay be cheque or etransfer, please contact the treasurer to arrange payment.
Please NOTE: educational sessions approved for CEUs by the ABGC will not necessarily be approved for CECs by the CBGC.
Questions regarding the CEC approval process and completed applications should be directed to the CEC team lead.
Please click on the Certification tab or the Recertification tab for updates regarding exam dates. For quick links, please see below.
