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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the benefits of becoming certified by the AHA Certification Center?
2. What does certification involve?
3. What is required to take the Examination?
4. What is tested on the Examination?
5. How can I obtain a Candidate Handbook and Application?
6. How do I study for the Examination? Is a practice test available?
7. What is the cost of the Examination?
8. How often is the Examination administered? Where is it administered?
9. How do I apply for the Examination? Can I apply online?
10. How long does it take to process my application?
11. How do I schedule the Examination?
12. What are the policies on transferring or refunding fees?
13. What if I can't make the examination or I arrive late?
14. How long do I have to wait to find out whether I passed the Examination?
15. What score do I need to pass the Examination? How many individuals are certified?
16. What if I fail the Examination? How often can I take it?
17. What is required to maintain my certification status?
18. What is the cost of renewing my credential?
19. I failed the Examination and want to challenge my score? Is there a policy to appeal the decision?
20. Is there a code of ethics required of AHA certificants?
Answers
1. What are the benefits of becoming certified by the AHA Certification Center?
Certification awarded by the AHA Certification Center provides both internal and external rewards.
Achieving AHA certification verifies you have met educational and professional experience requirements, and as evidenced through an examination process, have mastered a well-defined body of knowledge considered important to competent practice in today's healthcare field. Through the certification renewal requirement, you remain current in knowledge essential to your profession by participating in professional development activities or re-taking the exam. Upon passing the Examination, the AHA Certification Center offers to contact your employer to make him/her aware of this prestigious accomplishment.
Certification is fast becoming an industry standard by which individuals are assessed for new positions or promotion. Certification allows you to distinguish yourself in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
2. What does certification involve?
The Certification Programs conducted by the AHA Certification Center have three components:
- Eligibility requirements for participation in the Program
- A multiple-choice Examination that assesses knowledge of tasks performed regularly in the profession and are considered important to competent practice
- A renewal requirement. Certification is valid for three years at which time it must be renewed through successful retest or participation in continuing professional education.
An individual who meets eligibility requirements and successfully completes the qualifying Examination is awarded certification.
Start the process by downloading the Candidate Handbook and Application from this web site.
3. What is required to take the Examination?
Eligibility requirements include a blend of formal education and healthcare experience in the profession. Requirements are meant to profile the individual who is likely to be successful on the Examination, and are not designed to be a barrier to participation. Requirements specific to each program are contained in the Candidate Handbook and Application for the program, which is available from this web site.
4. What is tested on the Examination?
Each Examination assesses knowledge of tasks that, through a job analysis study, were identified as being performed regularly in the profession and important to competent practice. The Candidate Handbook and Application for each program contains the complete content outline for that Examination. The outline groups these tasks into major content categories and identifies the number of items dedicated to each category. The outline also contains the number of test items dedicated to testing recall or recognition of facts, comprehension or application of knowledge, and analysis or synthesis of information used to problem-solve. The CHESP, CHFM, CMRP and CPHRM Examinations consist of 110 multiple-choice test items, each with ten (10) of these items being "pre-test" items that do not affect your score. The CHC Exam consist of 115 multiple-choice test items with fifteen (15) of these items being "pre-test" items that do not affect your score. You are allowed two hours to complete the exam.
5. How can I obtain a Candidate Handbook and Application?
The Candidate Handbook and Application for each Program is available by downloading a copy from this web site, or by calling Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. at 888/519-9901.
6. How do I study for the Examination? Is a practice test available?
Successful candidates suggest that study should begin with review of the Examination content outline to identify those tasks for which your knowledge level or experience is not particularly strong.
Online Self-Assessment Examinations (SAEs), or practice tests, are currently available for purchase for each of the Certification Programs. These practice tests were developed by the AHA Certification Center and parallel the Certification Examination in content, cognitive level, difficulty and format. After completing an SAE, you receive valuable, pragmatic feedback in detailed score reports. Click here for information on how to purchase an SAE.
Collaborating professional membership societies have published study guides and offer review sessions in support of the Certification Programs. Information about the availability of study guides and sessions is posted on the collaborating Personal Membership Group’s web site.
7. What is the cost of the Examination?
For the CHESP, CHFM, CMRP and CPHRM Examinations, the fee for a member of a Personal Membership Group (PMG) of the American Hospital Association is $275 and $425 for nonmembers. For the CHC Examination, the fee is $400 for PMG members and $570 for nonmembers.
8. How often is the Examination administered? Where is it administered?
Each Examination is administered continuously throughout the year at over 170 secure computer test sites throughout the United States. Testing is scheduled twice daily, Monday through Saturday (except major holidays), so you may test where you wish and when you are prepared. Locations of test sites and directions to each site are available on the Testing Center section of the web site.
On occasion, Examinations are offered in laptop or paper-and-pencil format during annual meetings of Personal Membership Groups of the AHA or affiliated chapters. Dates of scheduled special administrations and deadlines for receipt of applications are available from this web site.
9. How do I apply for the Examination? Can I apply online?
After you have satisfied eligibility requirements, complete the application included in the Candidate Handbook and Application. Mail the completed application and appropriate fee to Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP) at the address indicated on the application. If paying by credit card, you may fax your application to AMP at 888/519-9901. By submitting the exam application, you attest that you meet the eligibility requirements and agree to abide by regulations in the Candidate Handbook.
You may apply online if you are applying for computer-based testing and paying by credit card. Visit the Online Application & Scheduling Section of the web site.
10. How long does it take to process my application?
Within approximately two weeks of AMP's receipt of your completed application and appropriate fee, AMP will email and mail a confirmation notice of eligibility with instructions on scheduling the Examination. If you do not receive a confirmation notice within four weeks of submitting your application, contact AMP at 888/519-9901. AMP will notify you if your application is incomplete (ineligible, no signature, missing page, submitted an incorrect fee, sent a personal check) and will assist you in completing your application. Incomplete applications are subject to an additional processing fee.
11. How do I schedule the Examination?
You are allowed 90 days from AMP's receipt of a completed application to schedule and take the Examination.
AMP’s confirmation notice provides a website address and a toll free telephone number for scheduling your Examination appointment. Either may be used to schedule the Examination. Be prepared to confirm your preferred location, date and time for testing and to provide your unique identification number which will be your AHA membership number or if you are not an AHA member, a unique number assigned to you by AMP.
Candidates who apply online are prompted to schedule the Examination appointment during the same online session.
You may apply online if you are applying for computer-based testing and paying by credit card. Visit the Online Application & Scheduling Section of the web site.
12. What are the policies on transferring or refunding fees?
Exam-related fees are non-refundable; however, rescheduling an Examination is an available option. You may reschedule an Examination appointment once (within the 90-day period) without penalty by contacting AMP at 888/519-9901 at least 2 business days prior to your scheduled appointment. You may reschedule a second time by calling AMP at 888/519-9901 and remitting the $100 rescheduling fee.
Candidates who fail to schedule an Examination within the 90-day period forfeit their application and all fees. A new application and full exam fee are required to test.
13. What if I can't make the Examination or I arrive late?
If you miss the Examination or arrive more than 10 minutes late for your appointment, you must schedule a new appointment by contacting AMP at 888/519-9901 and remitting the $100 rescheduling fee within 90 days of the originally scheduled test date. After the 90-day window, a new application and full Examination fee are required to test.
14. How long do I have to wait to find out whether I passed the Examination?
If you test on computer, you receive a score report indicating pass/fail status at the conclusion of the test session. If you take a paper-and-pencil Examination or newly released Examination, your score report is mailed from AMP approximately 6-8 weeks after the test date.
For those who pass the Examination, the AHA Certification Center recognizes certified status with a certificate, a certification pin, and other information.
15. What score do I need to pass the Examination?
The minimum passing score is the minimum number of correct answers (out of 100 scored test items) needed to pass the Examination. Minimum passing scores for current editions of Examinations are as follows:
|
Examination
|
|
| CHC | 69 |
| CHESP | 72 |
| CHFM | 71 |
| CMRP | 70 |
| CPHRM | 75 |
The score report indicates a “Pass” or a “Fail.” Raw score, or number of correct answers, on the total Examination determines Pass/Fail status. Additional detail is provided in the form of raw scores by major categories of the Examination Content Outline.
Different editions of Examinations are equated to ensure that a candidate is not penalized by taking a slightly more difficult edition of the Examination. Equated Examinations may have different minimum passing scores, but the equating procedure ensures that the levels of candidate knowledge are equivalent across editions.
16. What if I fail the Examination? How often can I take it?
There aren't any limits to the number of times you may attempt the Examination. Each attempt to retake an exam requires an application and full Examination fee.
17. What is required to maintain my certification status?
Certification must be renewed every three years to maintain certified status. Renewal involves either retaking and passing the Examination within one year prior to the expiration date or participating in 45 contact hours of continuing professional education. Specific provisions related to renewal are contained in the Renewal Application for the Program, available from this web site. Failure to renew the certification results in removal of the designation. To regain the designation, the individual must retake and pass the certification exam.
18. What is the cost of renewing my credential?
If you renew by retaking and passing the Examination, you pay only the Examination fee. You must still submit a Certification Renewal Application and attach the passing score report.
If you renew through continuing professional education, the renewal fee is $135 for a member of a Personal Membership Group (PMG) of the American Hospital Association, and $225 for a nonmember.
A completed and signed Renewal Application is required to renew. Renewal Applications may be downloaded from this web site.
19. I failed the Examination and want to challenge my score. Is there a policy to appeal the decision?
The AHA Certification Center has a formal mechanism for addressing an appeal by a candidate who:
- Believes they were unjustly denied eligibility for Examination;
- Challenges results of an Examination; or
- Believes they were unjustly denied renewal of certification.
20. Is there a code of ethics required of AHA certificants?
AHA certificants are required to adhere to the Professional Standards of Conduct developed by the AHA Certification Center. A candidate’s signature on an application for the Examination or a Renewal Application attests to adherence to these Standards. Click here for the AHA Certification Center’s Professional Standards of Conduct. All candidates agree to abide by the policies and procedures stated in the program's Candidate Handbook and Application.