1. CMAR Certified Manager of Animal Resources
Are you manager or supervisor in the laboratory animal field?
If so, then you need to know about the CMAR Program. This program qualified people as Certified Managers of Animal Resources. Are you ready to become CMAR-certified? Follow on to the next slides to learn the details of this newest certification program available through AALAS.

2. What is Management Certification?
A recognizable credential that shows you can meet the challenges of the lab animal management field consistently and effectively.
What is Management Certification?
In today’s workplace, managers of lab animal facilities, supervisors and team leaders face many challenges, such as a changes in technology and regulations, and institutional policies. Becoming certified as CMAR will give you a recognizable credential
that you can meet these challenges consistently and effectively.

3. Why Certify? Useful for promotions and hiring decisions.
Gives recognition as an industry professional.
Builds confidence and improves performance.
Evaluates strength and weaknesses.
Enhances career satisfaction.
Why should you become certified?
CMAR certification gives your present and future employers the confidence that you are competent in the lab animal field.
Certification is helpful as a criterion in performance evaluations and promotions. Certification builds confidence that you are knowledgeable about your job. The process of pursuing your certification helps you evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.

4. Partners Bringing You the CMAR Program
AALAS
LAMA
Laboratory Animal Management Association
ICPM
Institute of Certified Professional Managers
AALAS has partnered with the Laboratory Animal Management Association (LAMA) and Institute of Certified Professional Managers (ICPM) to develop this new certification for managers in the animal resources field. The CMAR Program aims to raise the level of professionalism in the lab animal management field.

5. What are the CMAR Program Eligibility Requirements?
Bachelor Degree (or higher degree)
5 years of lab Animal experience
3 years of managerial experience
What are the eligibility requirements?
To qualify for the CMAR Program, you must have a Bachelor Degree from an accredited institution, 5 years of lab animal work experience, of which 3 years or more must be managerial or supervisory experience.
Until November 1, 2002, AALAS offered a grandfather period for candidates without a Bachelor Degree. This grandfather period expired on November 1, Candidates who applied before this date were approved in the CMAR Program if they had 10 years of laboratory animal experience including 5 years of management or supervisory experience.

6. CMAR Facts 495 individuals have applied since 10/01
The CMAR candidates are made up of
Managers
Supervisors
Veterinarians
Directors
130 CMARs in the USA
Linda Brovarney and Jennifer Reilly

7. Progressing through the CMAR Program
CM exams administered by ICPM
CM application sent to ICPM.
CM fees payable to ICPM.
15-month time limit to complete CM exams
Exams in pencil-and-paper and computer-based formats.
Animal Resources Exam administered by AALAS
CMAR Program application sent to AALAS.
CMAR Program fees payable to AALAS.
15-month time limit to complete Animal Resources Exam.
Exam in pencil-and-paper format.
Please note that the exams are administered by different organizations: The CM exams are administered by ICPM and the Animal Resources Exam is administered by AALAS. Therefore, there are differences in how the two parts of this program are administered, including the application forms used and to which organization they are sent, the fees, time-limits on completing exams, and the format in which the exams are administered.

8. Progressing through the CMAR Program
CMAR candidates may apply simultaneously to:
ICPM for the CM exams
AALAS for the Animal Resources Exam
CMAR candidates must complete all work and education eligibility requirements before qualifying to take the Animal Resources Exam.
Candidates are allowed to take the Animal Resources Exam while working through their CM exams via ICPM.
Please note that all eligibility requirements for work experience and education must be satisfied before you can take your Animal Resources Exam.

9. Progressing through the CMAR Program
Please take special note of the time limits for completing the exams:
15 months to complete the CM exams once approved by ICPM.
15 months to pass the Animal Resources Exam once approved by AALAS.
Again, please take special note of the time limits for completing the exams. ICPM allows a period of 15 months to complete their three CM exams. AALAS allows a period of 15 months to complete the Animal Resources Exam.

10. Progressing through the CMAR Program
After each exam, you will receive a score report that identifies if you passed or failed.
If you failed, you also receive a breakdown of strengths and weaknesses in exam topic areas.
After each exam (including the Animal Resources Exam), you will receive your exam results and if you did not pass, it will also give you a breakdown of your strengths and weaknesses by topic area. This report will help you focus on areas for further study as you prepare to retake that exam.

11. Certified Manager (CM) An Eligibility Requirement for CMAR
Three Certified Manager Exams
Management Skills I – Foundations of Management
Management Skills II – Planning and Organizing
Management Skills III – Leading and Controlling
Let’s talk about one part of the process of obtaining your CMAR certification, which is to pass the Certified Manager (CM) exams through the Institute of Certified Professional Managers (ICPM). The CM exams are a series of three exams.
These exams are called:
Management Skills I – Foundations of Management
Management Skills II – Planning and Organizing
Management Skills III – Leading and Controlling
The CMAR Program is the combination of these three exams plus a fourth exam, called the Animal Resources Exam.
To take the CM exams, you must contact ICPM, fill out an application and pay their fees. ICPM allows you to taken any of their three CM exams at your own pace and in any order. But remember that you must complete your CM exams in a 15-month period.
CM exams are offered “on demand”. Contact ICPM when you are ready to test.

12. How Do I Apply for the Certified Manager (CM) Exams?
Contact the Institute for Certified Professional Managers (ICPM)
Phone:
Web site:
To apply for the CM exams you must contact ICPM, fill out one if their applications, and include their application fee. An exam fee is also charged for each exam.

13. What is involved in the CMAR certification process?
Must pass all CM exams via ICPM.
Apply to AALAS for Animal Resources Exam.
AALAS Fees
$25 application fee
$75 processing fee – waived for AALAS & LAMA members
$85 exam fee
$110 total for members
$185 total for non-members
ICPM Fees
$75 application fee
$100 exam fee per exam
$375 Total
What is involved in the process of obtaining your CMAR certification through AALAS?
You must pass all three CM exams via ICPM. Please contact ICPM for information on their fees.
In addition to your working through the CM exams, you must pass a fourth exam called the Animal Resources Exam which is administered by AALAS. Please fill out a CMAR application and send all the appropriate paperwork and fees to the National AALAS Office. This combination of the AALAS application fee and exam fee come to $110 for AALAS and LAMA members.

14. What are the Exams Like? 150 multiple choice questions.
Test takers must demonstrate “real-world” analysis and decision making.
What are the exams like?
They all have the same format. Each exam consists of 120 multiple choice questions with one right answer among five choices.
The information asked on these exams are not only based upon book knowledge but also on “real-world” experience that can not be learned just by studying a manual.

15. Animal Resources Exam Topic Areas: Optimizing Facility Resources
Managing Fiscal Resources
Achieving Regulatory Compliance
Managing Animal Welfare
Assuring Public Trust
The Animal Resources Exam measures your knowledge of and skills in the field of lab animal management. The topic areas covered are optimizing facility resources, managing fiscal resources, achieving regulatory compliance, animal welfare act, and assuring public trust.

16. Animal Resources Exam Topic Areas
I. Optimizing Facility Resources
A. Evaluating, Planning, Renovating and Monitoring Facilities
B. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
C. Protecting Assets and Personnel; Disaster Planning and
Management
II. Managing Fiscal Resources
A. Developing and Monitoring Budgets
B. Grants and Contracts
C. Cost Management
III. Achieving Regulatory Compliance
A. OSHA/ Safety
B. IACUC
C. FDA/USDA/EPA/PHS
IV. Managing Animal Welfare
A. Animal Health, Controlling Disease and Veterinary Care
B. Training Personnel and Handling Incidents
V. Assuring Public Trust
A. Ethical Considerations and Euthanasia
B. Public Relations, Customer Service and Professionalism
The five main topics of the Animal Resources Exam covers are subdivided into these subtopics.
The Animal Resources Exam is designed to address all subtopic/topic areas.

17. How is the Animal Resources Exam Administered?
Pencil-and-paper exam administered at a conference or at individual institutions in fall of
2006 :
NCAB Meeting
AALAS National Meeting
How is the Animal Resources Exam administered?
The Animal Resources Exam is administered currently as a pencil-and-paper exam at a conference venue. In 2003, the Animal Resources Exam will be administered at the M&T Meeting, the Tri-Branch Annual Symposium, the LAMA Annual Meeting, and the AALAS National Meeting.
Contact AALAS to locate a meeting nearest to you!

18. Are There Study Materials for CMAR?
CMAR Reference List can be downloaded from AALAS Web site or contact AALAS Office.
CMAR Resource Kit is available from AALAS. It contains all reference materials on the CMAR Reference List.
A reference list is available to help you prepare for the Animal Resources Exam. The reference list
contains 13 text items, including books and regulatory documents.
For your convenience, you can obtain these from AALAS as the CMAR Resource Kit.
While you’re at the National Meeting, visit the Bookstore to view these.
Included in this list is a textbook Management of Laboratory Animal Care and Use Programs,
by Mark Suckow, Fred Douglas, and Robert Weichbrod. The book provides a comprehensive
overview of Lab animal management and administration, gives basic knowledge on how to
maintain lab animals, and stresses theory as well as practical applications.
Chapters were written by managers with wide experience and expertise in the lab animal field.

19. How Do I Apply for the Animal Resources Exam?
Send completed application and payment to AALAS.
CMAR application can be obtained on the Web, by , phone or FOD.
How do you apply for the Animal Resources exam?
First you have to submit a completed CMAR application to AALAS.
The CMAR application can be down loaded off the AALAS web site
( or by calling or ing the National AALAS Office.

20. Recent changes Appeals form Maintenance form Proctoring Guidelines
AR Exam length and time
150 Questions
3 hours

21. Appeals Form Submit form to AALAS
Attach a completed CMAR Application Form
Attach 3 letters of recommendation
Attach resume
Do not submit payment for exam fees.
Attach documentation for the activities you list as substitute criteria.

22. Maintenance Form
Candidates who have not successfully passed the AR exam and applied to ICPM within the 15-month period must
submit a form
pay a maintenance fee ($25)
Candidates who fail to meet the deadline and who do not submit an eligibility maintenance form and fee are dropped from the CMAR Program and may reapply at a later date*. All candidates dropped from the program who have passed the Animal Resources Exam lose their exam score and must retake the Animal Resources Exam at the full application and exam fees at the time of reapplication to the CMAR program.

23. Proctors
AALAS staff, CMAR-certified AALAS/LAMA members, or a member of a human resources department are eligible
Proctors must sign a confidentiality form
No proctor may be in the direct or indirect reporting structure of the exam candidate.
Proctors must hold the title of manager or higher, or be a member of the human resources department.
The CMAR committee is aware of the difficulties managers and administrators may have in arranging
to attend meetings. Therefore, upon request, AALAS can work with candidates to arrange paper-and-pencil exams to be proctored at the candidate’s facility by the human resources department. Please contact the AALAS national office for more information.

24. CMAR Re-Certification
To maintain your status of CMAR-certification, you must…
Re-certify for CMAR
Every two years
Once you pass all four exams, you become a Certified Manager of Animal Resources!
You will have the CMAR acronym after your name.
To maintain your status as a CMAR, you will have re-certify as a CMAR every two years. The next slides describes the re-certification program.

25. CMAR Re-Certification
Demonstrate continuing competence through continuing education
Submit to AALAS a record of 24 continuing education units (CEUs) every two years.
Submit to AALAS a re-certification fee $40 for AALAS/LAMA members, $75 for non-members
CMAR certification does not stop with passing the CMAR Exam. To maintain your status
as a Certified Manager of Animal Resources, you must demonstrate continuing competence
through continuing education. You must re-certify your status as a CMAR by submitting to
AALAS a record of 24 CEUs and paying an administrative fee every two years.
Please note that re-certification is mandatory to retain your status as a CMAR.

26. CMAR Re-Certification
If a CMAR-certified manager does NOT re-certify…
CMAR certification becomes INACTIVE 4 months after the re-certification anniversary date has passed.
Status remains INACTIVE for 2 years past the CMAR anniversary date, unless re-certification requirements are satisfied.
If status is still INACTIVE past the 2-year CMAR anniversary date, CMAR status is lost.
To regain CMAR status, the AR Exam must be retaken and all exam fees paid.
Please realize that you risk losing your status as a CMAR if you do not re-certify.
You must re-certify as a CMAR every two years by submitting a record of your CEUs
to AALAS.
After your two-year anniversary date has passed, you have a 4-month
grace period in which you may re-certify without penalty.
After the 4-month grace period, your CMAR status becomes INACTIVE. Until your next
anniversary date, you can reactivate your status as a CMAR by submitting your CEU
record and paying the appropriate fees.
If a manager’s CMAR status is still inactive at the next two-year anniversary period,
CMAR status is lost. At that point, the individual must retake the Animal Resources Exam at full cost
to regain the CMAR status.

27. Comparison of CMAR Re-certification with Registry
Voluntary
Done every 2 years
24 CEUs/2 yrs LATG
Free for AALAS members ($40 for nonmembers)
CMAR
Mandatory
Done every 2 years
24 CEUs/2 yr
Fee – $40 members/$75 non-members
Since AALAS members are already familiar with the AALAS Technician Certification Registry, it is helpful to compare CMAR re-certification with the Registry. This slide compares each program’s features. The next slides focus on similarities and differences between the programs.

28. CMAR re-certification vs Registry
How is CMAR re-certification similar to the Registry?
Both the CMAR re-certification program and the Registry operate on a two-year cycle.
In both programs, you submit your CEUs every two years.
Note that these two programs have a similar structure: CEUs are submitted every two years. The number of CEUs necessary for CMAR is the same as for the LATG level of Technician Certification.

29. CMAR re-certification vs Registry
How is CMAR re-certification different from the Registry?
The Registry is a voluntary program. You don’t lose your technician certification if you choose to not participate in the Registry. It is also free for AALAS members.
CMAR re-certification is mandatory. Managers not re-certifying their CMAR credential risk losing their status as a CMAR.
An important difference between these programs is that re-certification is mandatory for CMAR, although participation
in the Registry is voluntary.
Please note that where re-certification is mandatory for the CMAR Program, managers risk losing their credential if they do not re-certify as required. You may wish to review slide 21 for details on the recertification period, the grace period for non-renewal, the inactive period for non-renewal, and the specification for regaining the CMAR credential if allowed to lapse.

30. Questions or More Information?
American Association for Laboratory Animal Science
9190 Crestwyn Hills Drive
Memphis, TN 38125
Phone: (901)
If you have more questions or need more information, please don’t hesitate to contact the AALAS
National Office. Thanks you for taking the time to learn more about the CMAR Program.