Is it absolutely necessary to renew my ASCP license every year?  Or is it just a way to get my money?

I think you hit the nail on the head with the latter.....

 

Paying the money to get your sticker and keep your membership current is not required by anyone that I know of. The advantages are discounts to ASCP workshops and programs, supporting the ASCP via a financial contribution and a subscription to Laboratory Medicine. If you attend ASCP workshops on a regular basis the annual membership fee is well spent because the savings is considerable. Attendance at a single workshop will probably pay for the annual membership in savings. If you never attend ASCP workshops for whatever reason there is probably little reason to pay your dues. Many folks pay their dues because they feel good about doing so . . . they are supporting the professional organization that certifies their professional credentials. That is probably the best and really only reason to pay the annual dues if you do not attend the sponsored workshops and events. If you feel you get nothing in return, there is no requirement to pay the bucks.

LR 

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We decided to approach our administration regarding licensing/certification as nursing does: for a yearly bonus. We feel with our education and dedication to patient care is as deserving of recognition as other health care professionals. Administration agreed to give a $1,000.00

annual bonus to those techs who are ASCP/NCA certified AND maintain their certification membership. An updated card is required to

qualify. SO for the minimum amount to maintain you membership, it was worth it and it also motivated those techs and phlebotomists

who had never sat for the exams to do so.

 

I have often wondered just why many of the groups that certify MT's even exist.  They all seem to have different agendas, most having nothing to do with our profession.  Renewals give them the $$ to lobby and pay for their office force, but I personally see very little benifit.  Being a MT (AMT), I recieve an educational journal, they keep my CE records and It seems for the most part deal with my profession.  I was also a CLT (ASCP), until they did away with that registry (since my degree is in History), but I have almost enough hours for a biology degree and was trained by the U.S.Navy and passed the then HEW exam.  ASCP has never deamed me knowledgeable enough to be a MT.  Just seems to be a snob thing I guess.

If you do not keep current and wish to change jobs you may have some trouble. If you work at a CAP accreditted lab they need proof of your accreditation. It's important to keep current in the field because of changes.

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Labrat

It is important to realize that neither ASCP-BOR nor NCA nor AMT certifications are LICENSES. Certification exams are voluntary demonstrations of entry-level or advanced competency. A license would be mandated by the state in which you live, and is required for an individual to practice their profession in that state. There are only about 12 states in this country that have personnel licensure requirements for clinical lab professionals, and I would imagine you would know already if your state requires you to carry a license to be a lab professional. Renewing your certification, however, especially in a state where there is no licensure, is a demonstration that you are maintaining your competency because there are continuing eduction requirements associated with that renewal. So it's not a way to "get your money", but a way for you to show publicly that you still have the competency which you demonstrated when you took the exam for the first time. I have renewed my NCA certification every 3 years since 1978, and am proud to show that I have grown in this profession over the past 30 years.