Cancer Registrars of Illinois

The Cancer Registrars of Illinois Association is a non-profit professional association which provides leadership dedicated to excellence in the management of cancer data through education, communication and membership participation. The motto of the Association is: “to promote research and education in cancer registry administration…to be of greater service to the cancer patient.”

Purpose:

To promote research and education in the registry field.
To enhance the level  of knowledge and skills of cancer registrars through Continuing Education.
To provide information  to the members of CRI regarding, current activities, research and trends in the cancer field.
To promote and or participate in seminars, workshops and symposiums, to improve the quality of cancer data collected in the cancer registry.
To seek active liaison with professional organizations which utilize data derived from cancer registries.

“So, do you register Cancer?”

I’ve been asked this question on a couple of occasions after telling an inquirer my job title.  And I’m sure I’m not the only one either.  The first time I was sort of dumbfounded, new to the profession myself.  After 3 years, I can rattle off a rather standard, sucinct answer now.  Collectively, we work hard on a daily basis to capture accurate cancer diagnosis and treatment information that is translated into a computer language or code, which is then reported to both state and national databases.  This data is vital to reporting cancer incidence and data both locally and nationally.  Many cancer registrars working in approved cancer programs also bear the responsibility of ensuring their particular cancer facility is adhering to the Commission on Cancer’s Program Standards.  This requires wearing MANY different hats, but I think most of us would agree that it is the continual changes and daily challenges that keep us coming back each day….not to mention how much we really have a passion for cancer patients.

Here is a link to a great article detailing the cancer registry profession – http://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2003/fall/yawhat.pdf