NCRA's Mentoring Program

NCRA’s Mentoring Program is designed to assist students seeking to earn the Oncology Data Specialist (ODS) credential and current ODS holders planning to advance their careers. NCRA’s Mentoring Committee seeks to match mentors with the most appropriate mentee based on shared backgrounds, interests, and career goals. Students enrolled in the online, self-directed NCRA-AHIMA Cancer Registry Management Certificate Program can request an Independent Advisor (IA) to assist with their practicum activities. 

Learn more about the Mentoring and Independent Advisor Programs.

Special Note: NCRA has changed the name of its credential. Oncology Data Specialist (ODS) is the new name for the Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) credential. Please note that any reference to the Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) credential should be understood to be the Oncology Data Specialist (ODS) credential. For more information regarding the name change see the ODS Name Change.

Become a NCRA Independent Advisor

The Become an NCRA Independent Advisor webinar outlines how NCRA members can become Independent Advisors (IA). These advisors share wisdom and knowledge gained through professional experience with students in the self-directed NCRA-AHIMA Cancer Registry Management Certificate Program. IAs provide guidance and advice to students as they navigate NCRA’s online practicum activities and prepare for the practicum assessments. Advisors established through this program can earn CE credits to maintain their ODS credential.

Establish a Student Internship Program to Recruit Cancer Registrars

The Establish a Student Internship Program to Recruit Cancer Registrars webinar outlines how the Arizona Cancer Registry designed and implemented an Health Information Management (HIM) student internship program to address the lack of qualified cancer registrars in Arizona. With many registrars at the state registry approaching retirement, attention was needed to identify and train the next generation of registrars to ensure continued high-quality data collection. As a group, HIM students present a pool of worthy candidates for cancer registry work. A plan to encourage these students to join the profession and train them on core cancer registry concepts was needed. Michelle Lenzen, BA, RHIT, ODS, Quality Assurance Manager for the Arizona Cancer Registry, highlights the state registry’s efforts and shares lessons learned and best practices.