Founded in 1922, ASCP is a professional society with 130,000 members working as pathologists, residents and other physicians, pathologists’ assistants, laboratory professionals, medical students and laboratory students. Based in Chicago with offices in Washington, DC, and Indianapolis, IN, ASCP provides excellence in education, certification, and advocacy on behalf of patients, pathologists, and laboratory professionals.
The ASCP Board of Directors governs the activities of the Society and is responsible for its fiscal viability and for achieving the mission of the Society.
Education
ASCP offers more than 300 Continuing Medical Education (CME) and self-study programs every year for pathologists and laboratory medicine professionals. These include Educational Courses, Weekends of Pathology, Teleconferences, Workshops for Laboratory Professionals, and Assessment and Self-Study programs. ASCP is accredited with Commendation by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide CME for physicians. ASCP also offers a variety of activities and tools designed to help pathologists meet Part II and Part IV Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements of the American Board of Pathology, as well as a Certification Maintenance Program (CMP) for laboratory professionals.
Certification
The ASCP Board of Certification (BOC), with accreditation from the American National Standards Institute, represents the gold standard for certification of pathologists’ assistants and laboratory professionals. As a certification agency that is administratively independent from ASCP, the BOC prepares relevant standards and develops procedures that ensure the competence of non-physician medical laboratory personnel. ASCPi—ASCP’s international certification credential—is now offered worldwide.
Advocacy
ASCP, through its Washington office, represents the interests of pathology and laboratory medicine before Congress, the Administration, federal regulatory agencies, and state governments. Through its advocacy efforts, ASCP mobilizes its members to communicate directly with their representatives to influence laws and regulations. With 130,000 members, ASCP wields power and influence in the nation’s capital. The Washington office also interacts with patient, allied health, laboratory and medical organizations to build coalitions to further the goals of ASCP.
Publications
ASCP Press is a full-scale medical publisher of reference manuals, slide atlases, multimedia, and journals, including the American Journal of Clinical Pathology (AJCP), the leading peer-reviewed pathology and laboratory medicine research journal, and Laboratory Medicine (LABMEDICINE), a monthly periodical dedicated to providing continuing education, career development and new technologies to the laboratory community. Critical Values, a quarterly newsmagazine, contains news and features for the entire laboratory team, with each issue exploring a particular theme.
Media and Public Communications
Through its growing network of media spokespersons, ASCP brings forward the knowledge of pathologists and laboratory professionals to help patients and the public understand laboratory tests and disease diagnosis. ASCP also raises awareness about career opportunities in pathology and laboratory medicine through National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week and other initiatives.