Who needs to earn CEUs?
Members who have earned NCRA credentials are required to maintain NCRA membership and meet a continuing education requirement every three years to continue using their credentials. This includes the Registered Skilled Reporter (RSR), the Registered Professional Reporter (RPR), the Registered Merit Reporter (RMR), the Registered Diplomate Reporter (RDR), the Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR), the Certified Realtime Captioner (CRC), the Certified Reporting Instructor (CRI), the Certified Manager of Reporting Services (CMRS), and the Certified Legal Video Specialist (CLVS).
What are CEUs?
To complete the continuing education requirement, each individual with an NCRA certification is required to earn 3.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) which is the equivalent of 30 hours of approved education. The exception is that those who have earned only NCRA’s Certified Legal Video Specialist (CLVS) credential must earn 1.0 CEU (10 hours) every three years.
NCRA also offers members the ability to earn up to 1.0 Professional Development Credit (PDC) toward their overall 3.0 requirement and CLVS members may earn up to 0.25 PDC.
So what are PDCs, and how are they different from CEUs?
CEUs are awarded for class time. These may be taken online, in live or on-demand webinar format, or as in-person classes. There will usually be a lecture component for a CEU-worthy program. The individual submitting the course for credit must be the student/participant.
All other activities for which NCRA grants units would be awarded PDCs. While this list is just a sample, the activities include book or article tests; passing a leg of another NCRA certification; participating in NCRF’s Oral Histories Program; providing pro bono services or volunteering for an NCRA, NCRF, or affiliated state board or committee; or participating in a formal mentoring program. (A quick note: PDCs may not be applied to reinstatement continuing education requirements.)
What is the deadline for earning CEUs?
The deadline for earning CEUs is Sept. 30 each year, although the year depends on when you have earned your certifications. You can look up your actual deadline through your NCRA account, which you can access by logging in on NCRA.org. NCRA recommends that Registered Members earn about 10 hours (or more) each year in order to spread out the requirement over the three-year cycle.
Still have questions? Visit NCRA’s Continuing Education web pages, contact NCRA’s Continuing Education Department at continuinged@ncra.org or visit the FAQs.
