PARCA - PACS Administrators Registry and Certification Association

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CPAS CPIA CPSA CPSM Exams

A summary of the requirements for the certification of a CPIA, or Certified PACS Interface Analyst are listed here. The requirements for the Interface analyst focus on connectivity and integration of the PACS, RIS and the modalities. There is a strong emphasis on understanding the technical aspects of the System Administration functions. Achieving CPAS certification is a requirement for this certification. Click here to take an exam.

Click here for a detailed list of requirements.

Summary of Requirements

DICOM standard
1. DICOM introduction and negotiation
  1.1    DICOM architecture and background
  1.2    Common issues
  1.3    Importance of Information model
  1.4    AE, SCU/SCP, FSR/FSC/FSU
  1.5    Negotiation; ID, Abstract Syntax, Transfer Syntax
  1.6    Association
2. DICOM Messages and objects:
  2.1    SOP Class concept
  2.2    Composite (Image) Message Structure
  2.3    Data Elements
  2.4    Value Representations
  2.5    Specialization and privatization
3. DICOM Storage and image management Services:
  3.1    Storage Service Class
  3.2    Important Storage Service Classes
  3.3    STC
  3.4    MPPS
  3.5    MWL
4. DICOM Print, Query/Retrieve and SR:
  4.1    Print
  4.2    Print extensions
  4.3    Query/Retrieve-FIND
  4.4    Query/Retrieve-MOVE-GET
  4.5    SR
5. DICOM Image Quality:
  5.1    Pixel representation
  5.2    Image pixel pipeline
  5.3    GSDF
  5.4    Presentation State
  5.5    Overlays
  5.6    Compression
6. DICOM Media
  6.1    Media specifications
  6.2    DICOM Part 10 files
  6.3    Application Profiles
  6.4    CD interchange issues
7. DICOM conformance statements
  7.1 Comparing conformance statements
  7.2 Gap Analysis
8. DICOM networking
  8.1    Message structure in detail
  8.2    Set up and configure DICOM devices
  8.3    Sniffers and active test software
  8.4    Interpret logs and DICOM dumps
9. DICOM Troubleshooting
  9.1    Send/receive TCP/IP Ping
  9.2    DICOM Verification (Echo)
  9.3    Send/receive test messages
  9.4    Send/receive images with different SOP Classes and transfer syntaxes
  9.5    Modify image headers and anonymization
HL7 V 2 standard.
1. HL7 messaging, theory:
  10.1    Message Structure
  10.2    Patient registration (ADT)
  10.3    Data Types
  10.4    Segments
  10.5    Acknowledgements
  10.6    Error messages
  10.7    General Order messages and responses
  10.8    Interpret HL7 message profiles
2. HL7 V2 Troubleshooting:
  11.1    Messaging dialogue
  11.2    Capture and parse messages
  11.3    Change/expand messages
  11.4    Reverse engineering of HL7 messages
  11.5    Create typical order message and acknowledgement message
Other important standardization and specification efforts:
1. IHE:
  12.1    IHE Introduction
  12.2    IHE actors
  12.3    Profiles
  12.4    IT infrastructure
  12.5    NM and PDI profiles