Certification

Below is a list of four mandatory requirements to become a Mayo Clinic Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist:

  1. Completion of both the online and the on-site training
  2. Pass the Mayo Clinic Certification Examination with an 80% passing grade (2 attempts will be given to pass). Participants will receive information regarding the examination at the on-site training. 
  3. Submit 240 practice hours. These are hours that must be acquired after participants have successfully completed the course (online, on-site, and pass the certification exam).   Participants have up to 2 years post on-site training to submit these hours to be applied toward certification. What kind of work counts toward the required 240 hours?   
  4. Minimum academic requirement:  Associates degree in any field.  

Upon successfully passing the exam, a Certificate of Completion will be provided to the participant.  This document is needed for participants that choose to pursue National Certification.  

Complete 240 practice hours post-training. Once practice hours are acquired, participants will need to submit and receive approval in order to acquire Mayo Clinic Tobacco Treatment Specialist Certification.  https://certification.ndceducation.mayo.edu/  Please contact the Nicotine Dependence Center with questions regarding certification renewal at ndep@mayo.edu

Testing:  
Participants must take the certification exam within 14 days after the last day of the on-site training. Participants who fail the certification examination are allowed to retest one time within this same 14-day timeframe.   

Certification renewal:
A TTS certificate will be valid for two years. When ready to renew, please log into the certification database:  https://certification.ndceducation.mayo.edu/

Renewal of the Certification will require documentation of 18 Continuing Education Hours (CEH) or Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits granted by an accredited organization over two years. To receive full credit towards certification, these hours must be specific to the treatment of tobacco use and dependence. Fifty percent credit will be approved towards certification for courses that are not tobacco-specific.

  • Continuing education hours approved as follows:  
  • Tobacco-focused courses - 100%
  • Non-tobacco motivational interviewing - 50%
  • General addiction or specific addiction courses specific to an area other than tobacco - 50%
  • Attendance at Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center Annual Conference - 100%
  • Health Behavior/Wellness/Prevention and Public Health Courses - 50% (These would include control/prevention/public health workshops)
  • Tobacco-focused college courses - 1 credit = 12 CEH, 2 credit = 24 CEH, 3 credit = 36 CEH, 4 credit = 48 CEH 

Once you submit for recertification, please wait to review an email confirming that your credits have been approved. You will then be prompted to pay the $35 (Nonrefundable) renewal fee. 

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