Donate

Medical Consultant Certification

  • 1

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What are the main differences between the old Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant Certification Process and the new FertilityCare Medical Consultant Certification Process?

    The old certification process was based primarily on the completion of the Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant Course (EP1 and EP2 in Omaha), along with agreeing to the Academy Code of Ethics. The new process still requires these steps as a baseline, but goes further to assure that the Certified FertilityCare Medical Consultant understands and is able to apply NaProTECHNOLOGY in medical practice.

  • Is everyone who completes the Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant Course expected to become certified as FertilityCare Medical Consultants?

    No. It is recognized that many physicians feel that the Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant Course is sufficient for their own understanding and basic support of patients that use Creighton Model FertilityCare or other natural methods of family planning. The Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant Course will continue to be available to all physicians who wish to complete it, regardless of whether they choose to be certified through the Academy.

  • Why should I apply for/renew certification as a FertilityCare Medical Consultant through the Academy?

      1. Certification assures that you are able to offer patients superior gynecologic care through NaProTECHNOLOGY.
      2. Certification documents your professional credentials as a competent and up-to-date provider of NaProTECHNOLOGY.
      3. Certification allows you to participate in the Academy as a voting member.
      4. Certification is required of medical consultants that are officially affiliated with FertilityCare Centers, in order for the FertilityCare Center to officially offer services in NaProTECHNOLOGY.

  • What are the specific requirements for FertilityCare Medical Consultant certification?

    1. Successful completion of the Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant Course (EP1 and EP2)
    2. Providing written assurance of willingness to abide by the Academy’s Code of Ethics.
    3. Documentation of Continuing Education approved by the Academy. This requirement has been updated to assure that the Continuing Education provides up-to-date information regarding NaProTECHNOLOGY.
    4. Assessment of the application of NaProTECHNOLOGY in your medical practice. This will be done by peer review of at least 10 patients for initial certification and 5 for renewal certification that you have treated who are charting with the Creighton Model FertilityCare System. The peer review will assess whether you have appropriately applied principles of cooperative management of FertilityCare and NaProTECHNOLOGY in treating these patients.
    5. Documentation of a supportive relationship with a FertilityCare Practitioner. This will be assessed by means of a standardized recommendation form from a FertilityCare Practitioner with whom you work.
    6. For initial certification, assurance of understanding of the FertilityCare education process by documenting that you have directly observed a number of follow-up sessions conducted by a FertilityCare Practitioner (either 5 follow-up sessions, 1 introductory session, and 1 pregnancy evaluation, OR 10 follow-up sessions).
    7. Successful completion of a certification examination as a FertilityCare Medical Consultant. This is a separate examination from the final examination of the Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant course and is only required for the initial certification, not for renewals.

  • Who will conduct the peer review of the 3 patients I have treated?

    A currently Certified FertilityCare Medical Consultant.

  • I am not a gynecologist, and my setting has some unique issues, so my application of NaProTECHNOLOGY may not be the same as that of my peer reviewer. How will this affect the peer review of my medical practice?

    The review process will fully take into account that physicians of different specialties and settings apply the principles of NaProTECHNOLOGY in different ways and scopes within their own practice settings. For example, some physicians practice full spectrum medical and surgical NaProTECHNOLOGY, some physicians practice medical NaProTECHNOLOGY, and some practice medical NaProTECHNOLOGY limited to specific medical indications (such as in pediatrics). Further, the review process will take into account that NaProTECHNOLOGY is a dynamic, evolving field, and there is seldom, if ever, exactly one way to manage any given patient or problem. The review process will allow a broad interpretation of the application of NaProTECHNOLOGY for your own specific situation and practice, within acceptable limits of what can legitimately be called NaProTECHNOLOGY. Wherever possible, the Certified FertilityCare Medical Consultant assigned to you as a peer reviewer will be of the same medical specialty (or midlevel discipline) as you are.

  • How is the patient review process affected by confidentiality laws, such as HIPAA?

    All information you provide to the reviewers will be de-identified. You will not provide any name, date of birth, medical record number, or any other information that could specifically identify the patient. Therefore, confidentiality will not be compromised.

  • I am no longer seeing patients. Can I still be certified?

    Initial certification requires that you are treating patients with NaProTECHNOLOGY. Under special circumstances, the peer review requirement may be modified to allow renewal of certification. However, in order for a FertilityCare Center to be listed as providing NaProTECHNOLOGY, they will need to have a formal affiliation with a Certified FertilityCare Medical Consultant who will actually treat patients.

  • I provide instruction as a FertilityCare Practitioner and NaProTECHNOLOGY for patients. How does that affect the requirement of working cooperatively with a FertilityCare Practitioner?

    If you have an additional FertilityCare Practitioner that you work with, you are still required to have the same evaluation by the FertilityCare Practitioner. In the situation that you have no working relationship with a FertilityCare Practitioner other than yourself, you may satisfy this requirement by documenting that you have successfully completed a FertilityCare Practitioner training program. Successful completion of a FertilityCare Practitioner training program can also be used to satisfy the required observation of follow-up sessions conducted by a FertilityCare Practitioner.

  • What will the examination cover?

    It will cover current principles of NaProTECHNOLOGY, as found in the Textbook of Medical and Surgical Principles of NaProTECHNOLOGY, and recent Academy meeting talks on NaProTECHNOLOGY.

  • Does certification allow me to serve as faculty for FertilityCare Education programs?

    Certification as a FertilityCare Medical Consultant will be necessary, but not sufficient for you to be able to be a Medical Consultant faculty for a FertilityCare Education program. This is because additional skills (beyond clinical competence in NaProTECHNOLOGY) are needed for effective teaching of FertilityCare Practitioner Interns. An additional certification for FertilityCare Medical Consultant Educator will be developed in the near future.

  • This is a lot more work than the old certification process. I am not sure that I have time for it.

    It is also a lot more meaningful than the old certification process. Completing it that you are up-to-date and competent in applying
    NaProTECHNOLOGY in your practice. If you are already keeping up with NaProTECHNOLOGY as you should, it will take relatively little extra time for you to document it for the certification or renewal process. Further, the process is designed to help you identify any areas where you might wish to strengthen your understanding of NaProTECHNOLOGY. The Ad Hoc Committee has worked hard to make sure that this process is as streamlined as possible, while still being actually meaningful. As NaProTECHNOLOGY becomes more widely known and utilized, it is imperative that patients and FertilityCare Practitioners can rely on FertilityCare Medical Consultants to deliver up-to-date NaProTECHNOLOGY services.

  • Why is there a certification fee?

    The certification fee is used to offset the administrative costs associated with processing applications.

  • Who can I contact with questions?

    Dr. Lorena A. Pérez Ferrer, CFCMC, CFCP
    AAFCP Commission on Certification
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  • 1