Siemens Healthcare announced this week that it will be sponsoring American Board of Magnetic Resonance Safety (ABMRS) credentialing examinations to certify professionals who oversee the safety of MR sites in the U.S.

The fee to take the test and attempt to be ABMRS Magnetic Resonance Safety Certified is normally $250 per individual, but Siemens will cover up to 50 percent of that cost for a limited time.

The tests first started being offered in June of this year, and the ABMRS sets up specific times and locations where the test can be taken ahead of time. Once certified, individuals have ten years before they are required to take the test once again.

“Siemens Healthcare is proud to support the ABMRS certification initiative,” Murat Gungor, Siemens Healthcare North America vice president of magnetic resonance imaging, said in a statement. “Through this sponsorship, we aim to help ensure that credentialed professionals who are knowledgeable about MR safety are available and present at all clinical and research MR facilities to help reduce MR incidents and accidents, and maintain optimal levels of patient and health care professional safety.”

Emanuel Kanal, MD, ABMRS founder and chairman, said in the same statement that ABMRS is honored to have Siemens’ support.

“This grant will help encourage and enable more professionals to pursue MRMD, MRSO, and MRSE certification, and will help ensure at least a minimum threshold level of knowledge and abilities for those charged with overseeing safety in the MR environment,” Kanal said. “Industry support for our initiative helps reaffirm the importance of MR safety credentialing and emphasizes the need for radiologists, technologists, physicists, and industry to work collectively to decrease incidents and accidents at MR facilities everywhere."

Visit the ABMRS website for more information on the exams and exam schedule.