Additional Information
The National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) says there is no one
clear educational pathway for this career. Many cancer registrars come from
a background of health information science.
The American Health Information Management Association offers distance
education in this field.
The National Cancer Institute and the American College of Surgeons offer
cancer registry training. Also, some colleges and universities offer training
programs for entry-level registrars.
The NCRA and state registrar associations provide continuing education
and training through seminars and conferences.
The NCRA offers voluntary certification as a Certified Tumor Registrar
(CTR). Most employers look for this credential, although it is not technically
required.
Some employers will require the employee to be "CTR eligible." This means
they expect you to take the certification examination as soon as possible.
The NCRA requires anyone applying for certification to have a two-year
associate of science degree. The degree must include anatomy, physiology and
medical terminology. People with nursing degrees can take a certificate class
to be eligible.