Mastectomy Fitting Certification During COVID-19

Published in Women's Health on May 29, 2020

The COVID-19 environment makes getting your American Board for Certification for Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics (ABCOP) or Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) mastectomy fitting certifications more complicated. Not only have in-person mastectomy training classes been cancelled or postponed, but the supervised hours that both require complicates getting your CFm or CMF.

Pre-Certification Courses

Always make sure to check ABCOP and BOC’s websites as well as manufacturer websites for approved fitter pre-certification courses. Essentially Women also features our vendor partners’ mastectomy fitter courses on our Mastectomy Training page.

Attending pre-certification courses has always been a barrier for fitters. BOC has recently approved a course that features all classroom and hands-on course components online. The course is designed and conducted by CFS Allied Health. While Essentially Women does not have a relationship with CFS Allied Health, this online course may be a great option for those of you who need this course before sitting for your exam or who cannot travel to an in-person class. More information on this class can be found on the CFS Allied Health website. As of the end of May 2020, this online course has not been approved by ABCOP.

If you are looking for recertification courses, ABCOP and BOC’s websites also include the options available. American Breast Care (ABC) offers both live and online training for pre-certification and recertification CEUs. VGM Education offers online courses that can be taken for mastectomy recertification hours as well as annual training that is required by Medicare or your accreditation body, like HIPAA Compliance, Bloodborne Pathogens, and Fraud, Waste and Abuse Training. Browse the Essentially Women catalog here.

Supervised Mastectomy Fitting Hours

Prior to sitting for the CFm or CMF, both ABCOP and BOC require supervised mastectomy fitting experience. Earning these required hours poses a challenge for many candidates that are opening their own stores. If you’re looking for someone who you can work with to help you earn these hours, Essentially Women can make some suggestions. Also consider volunteering at your local hospital or clinic, bringing a mastectomy fitter into your facility or consulting other ABCOP or BOC accredited facilities in your area.

BOC

BOC requires 120 hours of documented patient care under the supervision of an appropriately qualified professional. This supervision can be completed in-person or virtually. View the BOC Certified Mastectomy Fitter Scope of Practice here. If you have questions about certification, you can email their Certification Team at cert@bocusa.org.

ABCOP

ABCOP requires either 250 hours of supervised mastectomy fitting patient care experience or 125 hours of supervised mastectomy fitting patient care experience if you hold a nationally recognized certification in a related allied health profession. Refer to the ABCOP Mastectomy Scope of Practice for full information on Direct Supervision.

Testing

Recently, BOC announced a new remote proctored testing option. Candidates will be able to complete their certification exams from their home or office beginning early June 2020. The move to online exam completion was previously in the works; however, the timeline was pushed up due to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). Their remote proctored testing option is available for Certified Orthotic Fitters (COF), Certified Mastectomy Fitters (CFM) and Certified Durable Medical Equipment Specialist (CDME) exams.

ABCOP offers their exam every other month using computer-based training (CBT) at 300 locations nationwide conducted by Prometric. For full information on testing, visit the ABCOP website.

Essentially Women is happy to walk you through this. If you have any questions, contact us at 800-988-4484 or essentiallywomen@vgm.com.

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