RQAP Re-Registration

Overview

The Quality Assurance Professional Registration program was established by the Society of Quality Assurance as a professional enhancement to the field of regulatory quality assurance.  It is essential, in such a diverse and evolving profession, for quality assurance professionals to continually refresh their skills and remain current in the latest regulatory requirements and interpretations, and in industry's approach to compliance.

The purpose of the RQAP-GLP and RQAP-GCP re-registration programs is two-fold: first, to encourage and recognize continued participation in the field of regulatory quality assurance, and, second, to ensure that quality assurance professionals remain informed and knowledgeable in their profession.
 

Requirements

The re-registration program requires that REGISTRANTS complete a total of twelve (12) units within three years of registration or re-registration. A minimum of six (6) units shall be based on discipline-specific activities (GLP-related for RQAP-GLP designations and GCP-related for RQAP-GCP designations) and the remaining six (6) units may be based on relevant professional activities (e.g., a seminar in statistics, analytical chemistry or microbiology; a workshop on organizational effectiveness, process improvement or facilitator training; formal education courses; participating in professional committee work; etc).  If you have any questions concerning applicability of units, please contact the Chair of the Council on Professional Registration.

Documentation supporting proof of units earned must be submitted with the re-registration application.  It is the responsibility of the Registrant to provide unequivocal documentation of the units earned.  The supporting documentation must be clear, concise, traceable/verifiable, and complete. Units without the supporting documentation will not be credited towards re-registration.  The re-registration process will operate on the honor system. Submission of fraudulent materials or information may be pursued with a penalty of revocation of registration privileges.

Units may be earned as follows:

1. Attendance at professional meetings, seminars, or conferences: each ½ day session (4 to 6 hours) = 1 unit and each ¼ day session (3 hours or less) = 0.5 units. Examples of acceptable meetings include:
   • SQA Annual Meetings
   • SQA Regional Chapter meetings
   • Other professional society meetings (e.g., JSQA, BARQA, RAPS, DIA, ACS, ACRP, AALAS, etc.)
   • In-house continuing education
   • Web-based seminars;
2. Instructing, lecturing or training: each unique, non-repetitive session = 1 unit;
3. Participating author for published, peer-reviewed articles, books or book chapters: each published work = 1 unit;
4. Writing an article for the SQA members-only newsletter Quality Matters = 0.5 unit;
5. Participating author for a poster session: each poster = 1 unit;
6. Attendance at relevant university courses: 1 semester/quarter credit = 1 unit;
7. SQA Chapter, Committee or Specialty Section membership, or SQA annual membership: per year = 1 unit (a maximum of 3 GLP or GCP discipline-specific units may be used for this category);
8. Submission of solicited questions for the RQAP-GLP or RQAP-GCP examination: every 10 questions submitted = 1 unit (unsolicited questions will NOT be accepted for credit.  Contact the appropriate Examination Committee Chair prior to writing exam questions); and
9. SQA Mentoring (through the SQA Mentoring Program Committee): each satisfactorily completed six-month mentoring partnership = 2 units; maximum per year = 4 units (applies for Mentors and Peer Partners only).

 
Dual Registration

There are some special considerations for dual registrants, meaning individuals who have earned both the RQAP-GLP and RQAP-GCP designation. The policies for dual registrants are as follows:

• Two separate applications and fees are required.
• Of the required 6 GLP + 6 GCP discipline specific units, GCP units may be used as non-GLP and GLP units may be used as non-GCP units for a total of 12 units. During a re-registration cycle, 6 units of each will provide sufficient credit for both registrations.
• The same units cannot be used for discipline-specific credit for both disciplines (e.g., one meeting cannot be used for both GLP and GCP units).
• Non-discipline-specific units can be used for both re-registrations.
• Registrants must have 6 GLP units for RQAP-GLP and 6 GCP units for RQAP-GCP re-registrations.

In summary, a dual registrant can use the same 12 units to re-register for both programs provided 6 units are GLP-specific and 6 units are GCP-specific and all units were earned in the appropriate three-year time frame for the designation being re-registered.
 

Timing

All professional activities applied to re-registration must take place within the three-year period between passing the examination and applying for re-registration, or between sequential and successive re-registration periods.  The first post-examination re-registration period begins on April 1 of the examination year and ends on 30 September three years later, e.g., 1 April 2010 through 30 September 2013.  Subsequent re-registration periods begin 1 October of the re-registration year and end on 30 September three years later.  Activities eligible for re-registration in 2010 should date from 1 October 2007 through 30 September 2010 unless the registrant passed the exam for the first time in 2007, in which case the activities must have been completed between 1 April 2007 and 30 September 2010.

The completed application for re-registration must be mailed to the SQA Headquarters and be post-marked on or before 31 October of the re-registration year.  Notice of re-registration status (approval, denial or further information needed) will be provided to all re-registration applicants within 3 months of the 31 October submission deadline.

**Special note: Because the SQA special symposia and Quality College for the fall of 2010 have been delayed past the end of September, the Council on Professional Registration has agreed to accept attendance at these events for re-registration units for the 2010 re-registration, even though the events will take place after the usual cut-off for earning re-registration units, if the applicant attends and chooses to use them as such. If the applicant attends these events and prefers to use the units for his/her 2013 re-registration instead, that will also be acceptable.
 

Fee

The current cost of re-registration is $75 made payable to the Society of Quality Assurance and must be submitted with the re-registration application.

This information will be distributed to all RQAPs during the summer preceding the expiration of registration.  At that time, more specific information will be provided concerning acceptable methods of payment, the deadline for submission, etc.