Registry to Reality: Making Your Mammography Credits Work for MQSA
Does the Mammography Registry Count for CE’s for MQSA? Here’s the Quick Answer
Does the mammography registry count for CE’s for MQSA — and the answer depends entirely on when your ARRT biennium started.
Quick answer:
| Your ARRT Biennium Start Date | Does the ARRT Mammography Exam Count for MQSA CE? | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| On or before Dec. 31, 2017 | Yes | 24 Category A credits, satisfying the 15-CEU MQSA requirement |
| On or after Jan. 1, 2018 | No | No CE credits awarded for passing the post-primary exam |
| Either date (exam passage) | Yes — MQSA reset only | Passing the ARRT (M) or Breast Sonography (BS) exam resets your MQSA CE clock for 36 months |
In short: passing the ARRT Mammography exam can satisfy your MQSA continuing education requirement for 36 months — but only under specific conditions. If your biennium started after 2018, you’ll need to earn your 15 mammography-specific CEUs through approved coursework instead.
This matters because MQSA compliance isn’t optional. Every radiologic technologist performing mammography must meet the FDA’s continuing education standards — and misunderstanding the rules can mean being pulled from unsupervised exams until credits are made up.
I’m Zita Ewert, and as the leader behind Scrubs Continuing Education, I’ve spent years helping imaging professionals navigate exactly these kinds of overlapping requirements — including the question of does the mammography registry count for ce’s for mqsa — so you can stay compliant without the guesswork. Let’s walk through exactly how this works so you can verify your eligibility and plan your next steps with confidence.
Important does the mammography registry count for ce’s for mqsa terms:
Does the Mammography Registry Count for CE’s for MQSA?
When we talk about the “mammography registry,” we are usually referring to the ARRT® post-primary certification exam in Mammography (M). For years, passing this exam was a “golden ticket” for CE compliance. It didn’t just give you those fancy initials after your name; it also wiped out your continuing education obligations for both the ARRT and the FDA’s Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) in one fell swoop.
However, the rules changed significantly in 2018. To answer the question does the mammography registry count for ce’s for mqsa today, we have to look at two different ways the “credit” is applied:
- CE Credit Hours: These are the actual units (like the 24 Category A credits) you report to the ARRT every two years.
- MQSA Compliance Reset: This is the FDA policy that says passing the exam satisfies the 15-CEU requirement for 36 months, regardless of whether you technically “earned” hourly credits.
Under current FDA policy, passing the ARRT Mammography (M) or Breast Sonography (BS) exam satisfies the entire MQSA CE requirement for 36 months from the date of the exam. This effectively “resets” your clock. However, because the ARRT stopped awarding 24 Category A credits for passing the exam for any biennium starting after January 1, 2018, you may find yourself in a situation where you are “MQSA compliant” but still short on “ARRT credits” for your biennial renewal.
How the ARRT Exam Impacts Your MQSA CE Requirements
The MQSA requires that all mammography technologists earn 15 mammography-specific CEUs every 36 months. If you pass the registry, the FDA views this as a high-level demonstration of current knowledge. Because of this, the act of passing the exam satisfies that 15-CEU requirement for the next three years.
This is a huge relief for many of us! It means that for the 36 months following your exam date, you are considered “current” for MQSA inspections. You won’t need to scramble for extra mammography technologist training just to satisfy an inspector’s checklist during that window.
However, keep in mind that this “reset” only covers the education portion of MQSA. It does not exempt you from the continuing experience requirement, which mandates that you perform at least 200 mammographic examinations every 24 months. You must still keep your logs updated and ensure you are meeting your clinical volume.
Conditions Where the Mammography Registry Count for CE’s for MQSA is Valid
To determine if you get the actual 24 Category A credits (which can be used for your general ARRT renewal), you must look at your biennium start date.
- The Cutoff: If your ARRT biennium began on or before December 31, 2017, you are in luck. Passing the exam earns you 24 Category A credits. Since these credits are mammography-specific, they easily satisfy the 15 MQSA credits required.
- The New Era: If your biennium began on or after January 1, 2018, the ARRT no longer awards CE credits for passing the post-primary exam.
Even if you don’t get the 24 credits for your ARRT renewal, the Official FDA MQSA Policy Guidance still allows the exam passage to count as meeting the 15-CEU MQSA requirement for 36 months. We recommend keeping a copy of your exam results letter in your personnel file at your facility to show the inspector that your 36-month clock has been reset.
Navigating the 2018 ARRT Policy Change
The 2018 policy change caught many of us off guard. The ARRT moved toward a “Structured Education” model, which requires 16 hours of specific coursework before you can even sit for the exam. Because you are now required to earn credits to qualify for the exam, the ARRT decided that awarding more credits for passing the exam was essentially “double-dipping.”
This change means that for most technologists working today, the answer to does the mammography registry count for ce’s for mqsa is a bit of a “yes and no.”
- Yes: It satisfies the FDA requirement to have 15 credits in your 36-month window.
- No: It does not provide the 24 credits you need for your biennial ARRT renewal.
If you are relying on the registry to keep you compliant, you must be very careful. You might pass the exam and be perfectly fine for your MQSA inspection, but then realize you have zero credits to report to the ARRT at the end of your biennium. This is why understanding mammography technologist license renewal is so vital. You still need to earn those 24 Category A or A+ credits through traditional means, like the courses we offer at Scrubs CE.
Maximizing Credits When the Mammography Registry Count for CE’s for MQSA is Limited
Since you can no longer rely on the exam itself for ARRT credits, the smartest strategy is to choose CE courses that serve a dual purpose. MQSA requires 15 credits that are mammography-specific. The ARRT requires 24 credits in any Radiology category (though they must be Category A or A+).
By taking 15 credits of mammography-specific CE, you satisfy the entire MQSA requirement and more than half of your ARRT requirement at the same time. To be fully compliant, you should look for courses covering:
- Full-Field Digital Mammography (FFDM)
- Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT)
- Breast anatomy and physiology
- Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA)
At Scrubs CE, we design our courses to meet these specific needs, ensuring that every hour you spend studying counts toward every agency that regulates your license.
How to Sync ARRT Bienniums with MQSA 36-Month Cycles
One of the most confusing parts of our jobs is that the ARRT and the FDA use different calendars.
- ARRT Biennium: A 24-month cycle based on your birth month.
- MQSA Cycle: A 36-month cycle based on your facility’s annual inspection date.
Because these dates rarely align, we have to be proactive. Your facility supervisor will usually track your MQSA window, but you are the one responsible for your ARRT biennium.
To stay in the clear, we suggest a “constant readiness” approach. Instead of waiting for the end of a cycle, try to earn at least 5-6 mammography-specific credits every year. This ensures that no matter when the MQSA inspector walks through the door, you have your 15 credits within the last 36 months. It also ensures you are never scrambling at the last minute for your ARRT renewal.
MQSA also requires at least 6 CEUs in each mammographic modality you use (like FFDM or DBT). If you’re looking for a deep dive into these specifics, check out our mammography CEUs complete guide.
Documentation and Inspection Readiness
When an FDA inspector arrives, they aren’t just looking at your machines; they are looking at you. They will ask for your “Qualification Form,” which outlines your initial training, your continuing experience (the 200 exams), and your continuing education.
If you are using your ARRT exam passage to satisfy your MQSA CE, you must have proof. The inspector will look for:
- Your ARRT Card: Showing you are currently certified.
- Exam Result Documentation: A letter or official printout showing the date you passed the Mammography (M) registry.
- CE Certificates: If you didn’t pass the registry in the last 36 months, you’ll need certificates for at least 15 mammography-specific hours.
We always tell our students: “If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.” Keep a digital and physical folder with your mammography continuing education requirements documentation. This includes your initial 40 hours of training, your 25 supervised exams, and your 8 hours of modality-specific training for things like 3D tomosynthesis.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mammography CE
Does passing the Breast Sonography (BS) exam count for MQSA?
Yes! Passing the ARRT Breast Sonography (BS) exam also satisfies the MQSA continuing education requirement for 36 months from the date of the exam. This is because the content is directly related to breast imaging and falls under the scope of MQSA-qualified education. However, just like the Mammography (M) exam, it does not provide ARRT biennial credits if your biennium started after 2018.
What happens if I fail to meet the 15 CEU requirement?
If an inspection reveals that you haven’t met the 15-CEU requirement in the previous 36 months, you must stop performing unsupervised mammography exams immediately. To “requalify,” you generally have to earn the missing credits and, in some cases, perform 25 supervised exams. The FDA may allow a 90-day grace period to earn these credits, but you cannot work independently during that time. It is much easier (and cheaper!) to stay current than to catch up.
Can I use general Radiology credits for MQSA?
No. This is a common mistake. While the ARRT accepts general Radiology credits for your 24-hour biennial requirement, the MQSA is much stricter. According to FDA 21 CFR 900.12, the 15 credits must be “specifically applicable to mammography.” This includes topics like breast anatomy, mammography positioning, or quality control for mammography equipment. If you take a course on MRI safety or CT physics, it will count for your ARRT renewal but will be rejected by an MQSA inspector. For more on these distinctions, see our guide on ARRT mammography CE requirements.
Conclusion
So, does the mammography registry count for ce’s for mqsa? Yes, as a “reset” for your 36-month FDA clock, but usually no as a source of hourly credits for your biennial ARRT renewal. Navigating these rules is part of being a professional, but it doesn’t have to be a headache.
At Scrubs CE, we are dedicated to your professional development. We know that your time is valuable, which is why we offer high-quality, self-paced online courses that provide instant certificates. Whether you need to fulfill your 15 MQSA hours or your 24 ARRT credits, we have the mammography-specific content you need to advance your career and stay compliant.
Ready to clear your requirements? Explore our Mammography CE Courses today and get back to focusing on what matters most: providing excellent care to your patients.