Becky Killian, CRA

As many of you have heard, I recently received my CRA. I am betting that most of you do not know what a CRA is. This post will hopefully answer any questions you were wondering.

What does CRA stand for? Certified Retinal Angiographer

What does CRA mean? It means I completed a series of tests designed to define my knowledge and experience regarding Ophthalmic Photography and Angiography.

What did I have to do to complete the certification? Jump through hoops. (JK Dad) The requirements to take the test are: accepted portfolio of 19 specified fundus photography photos, 3 fluorescein angiograms, at least 2 years of experience shooting fluorescein angiograms, obtain CPR certification, take a 4 part test and of course give money.

A 4 part test? That sounds brutal. What were the 4 parts? 1 part written test consisting of 175 questions and 3 part hands on performance exam. The written test was multiple choice and 50 of the 175 questions were photographs I had to decipher. The performance exam consisted of photography, film processing and stereo slide orientation.

What is a fluorescein angiogram? Angiography is the imaging of vessels, and the resulting pictures are angiograms. Angiography of the retina of the eye requires the injection of a small amount of dye (fluorescein) into a vein in the patient's arm. The dye travels through the blood stream and is photographed using special cameras and colors of light as it travels through the vessels of retina. (http://www.opsweb.org/OpPhoto/Angio/index.html)

What does a FA photo look like?

Fun CRA statistics:

There are approximately 450 CRA's in the world right now. 52% pass the written exam on the first try and 94% pass the performance exam on the first try.

Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Becky Killian, CRA, COA