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How do I Become a Certified Tumor Registrar?

Elva K.
Elva K.

When people are diagnosed with or die from cancer, there are facility records, regional records, and national records of those cancer patients. The medical professionals who maintain those records are called certified tumor registrars. These people review records of cancer patients, review medical reports, and code the diagnostic and treatment records of cancer patients. They also track the progress of cancer patients over time and note whether the patients live or die. To become a certified tumor registrar, you will need to acquire at least an associate's degree, undergo job-specific training, and be certified by a national testing board.

In the past, on-the-job training was the only form of education for a person who wanted to become a certified tumor registrar. Subsequently, educational programs have been created to train registrars; these programs are accredited by the National Cancer Registrar's Association (NCRA). The programs offer an associate's degree or certificate in cancer registry. If you want further training after the degree or certificate, you can pursue a bachelor's degree with a specialization in tumor registry. An alternative path would be to get a degree in medical coding and then get a certificate in cancer registry from an NCRA-accredited program.

Board testing must be passed in order to achieve certification.
Board testing must be passed in order to achieve certification.

It is important to learn the skills required for this job while in school. For example, it typically is necessary to learn data collection, medical coding, cancer management, medical terminology, epidemiology, biostatistics, cancer data abstraction, database management, and cancer registry procedures. After satisfying the educational and training requirements, you will then have to pass the national certified tumor registrar (CTR) exam.

An associates degree is required to be a certified tumor registrar.
An associates degree is required to be a certified tumor registrar.

After completing all of the requirements, cancer registrars can work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, doctors' offices, national health standards organizations, or even independent consultation companies. Some tumor registrars work in the same office daily. Others become a certified registrar and travel nationwide to work at health facilities that need the registrar's skills.

A tumor registrar may work in a research laboratory where she is tasked with managing records of experiments.
A tumor registrar may work in a research laboratory where she is tasked with managing records of experiments.

The information that is coded by cancer tumor registrars is important because it enables doctors and public health workers to better understand the occurrence of cancer. For instance, the information enables researchers to statistically determine the rates of cancer death and of survival. The information helps decision-makers decide how resources should be allocated. Also, the information helps in the evaluation of cancer treatments and in the planning of educational programs for doctors, cancer patients, and others.

Discussion Comments

anon322250

@Closerfan: I think it takes years longer to become a psychologist. You need your masters to be a psychologist and sometimes even a doctorate.

anon256081

I'd like to know how to get the education for this.

closerfan12

Do you think it is harder to become a psychologist or to become a tumor registrar?

And what do the job prospects and salary look like for those jobs?

StreamFinder

I had thought I wanted to become a registered nurse, but I may have to look into how to become a certified tumor registrar -- the job actually sounds really interesting to me.

rallenwriter

Forgive my flippancy, but I can't imagine what a teacher would do on "career day" if after hearing all the "I want to become a dentist," "I want to become a vet," "I want to become a firefighter," some kid came out with "I want to become a certified tumor registrar."

I don't know what I'd do if a kid sprung that on me...

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    • Board testing must be passed in order to achieve certification.
      By: uwimages
      Board testing must be passed in order to achieve certification.
    • An associates degree is required to be a certified tumor registrar.
      By: diego cervo
      An associates degree is required to be a certified tumor registrar.
    • A tumor registrar may work in a research laboratory where she is tasked with managing records of experiments.
      By: Monkey Business
      A tumor registrar may work in a research laboratory where she is tasked with managing records of experiments.
    • A tumor registrar conducts research that helps set current health policies and evaluate how the disease will be treated in the future.
      By: Minerva Studio
      A tumor registrar conducts research that helps set current health policies and evaluate how the disease will be treated in the future.
    • Tumor registrars are generally very knowledgeable about the various forms of cancer treatment available to patients.
      By: tawesit
      Tumor registrars are generally very knowledgeable about the various forms of cancer treatment available to patients.