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Our Story

Since our founding in 1978, The National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel, Inc. (NCA) has established a tradition of excellence, a legacy of professionalism, and a history of success.  Today, NCA exists as a voluntary, nonprofit, non-governmental organization that conducts certification of medical laboratory personnel.  Throughout our history, NCA has been dedicated to setting beneficial standards that provide for public and private patient interests.  Our certification represents the best and brightest in today’s medical laboratory field.   NCA provides national peer-developed and peer-administered examinations for laboratory personnel.

NCA's examination programs are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Accreditation by the NCCA signifies unconditional compliance with stringent testing and measurement standards among national health testing organizations. This recognition attests to our past and continued efforts to maintain the quality and integrity of examination programs on behalf of the profession. For more information, please visit the National Organization for Competency Assurance.

NCA has overall responsibility for examination development and examination administration and contracts with Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP) to administer and provide psychometric guidance for NCA exams.  Under the direction of the NCA Board of Directors and the Examination Council, AMP is also responsible for application processing, maintenance of assessment centers, examination security, examination administration, scoring, analysis, and reporting of the exams and their results.  For more information about AMP, please visit their website at www.goAMP.com.

NCA and our sponsoring organizations provide various activities to help promote professional development in accordance with our commitment to promoting the medical laboratory professions at large.   This commitment to continuing education and professional development assures that the NCA certification demonstrates competency and professional excellence. 

Our Mission

The National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA) represents professionalism, community, and the best of the best.  More than a set of initials, we will continue to be the credentialing agency of choice for laboratory professionals dedicated to excellence.

Our Goals

• to provide a means for job applicants to inform prospective employers of their qualifications
• to provide and measure a standard of knowledge desirable for laboratory personnel
• to encourage professional practitioners to remain current with laboratory practices and to qualify for advanced positions
• to recognize formally those individuals who fulfill the requirements for certification and recertification
• to foster a sense of community for committed individuals within the laboratory world
• to seek new and innovative ways to grow our community and purpose as the laboratory environment evolves