Founded in 1922, the ASCP provides programs in education, certification and advocacy on behalf of patients, pathologists and lab professionals.
[2] The current CEO since 2010 is Ervin Blair Holladay, Ph.D., MASCP, SCT(ASCP)CM who collects an annual salary of US$1 million.
In February 2006, ASCP acquired the cytology product line of the Midwest Institute for Medical Education (MIME).
[4] In 2009, ASCP acquired the medical technologist led National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA).
The ASCP Board of Registry (BOR) was established in 1928 as the "Registration Bureau for Technicians" as the first certification agency for clinical laboratory personnel in the US.
[11][9] In 1933, ASCP began to assess individuals for academic and clinical prerequisites, and those who passed a board examination were granted certification.
[9] In 2004, the BOR implemented the Certification Maintenance Program (CMP) requiring continuing education every three years to remain certified.
[14] Though New Jersey has never required the certification for employment, the technologist successfully sued ASCP under monopolistic restraint of trade to be reinstated to the registry with the Supreme Court of New Jersey finding that the "professional status conferred on plaintiff by her certificate is an interest of sufficient substance to warrant the protection of the court.
[10] In 1973, following antitrust litigation by the United States Department of Education, the ASCP Board of Schools became the independent National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
[10][12] In 2022 ASCP received a multi-year grant over $1M to promote the CDC OneLab initiative, a network of laboratory professionals and testers to support rapid, large-scale responses to public health emergencies.
[24] The credential is not required for practice in the Philippines, but is appealing for its international work eligibility, primarily immigration to the United States.