Credentialing
Credentialing is the process by which the qualifications of licensed
professionals, organizational members or an organization are determined
by assessing the individuals or group background and legitimacy through a
standardized process. Accreditation, licensure, or certifications are
all forms of credentialing.
In 1978, Helen Cleary, the president of the Society for Public Health Education
(SOPHE) started the process of certification of health educators. Prior
to this, there was no certification for individual health educators,
with exception to the licensing for school health educators. The only
accreditation available in this field was for school health and public
health professional preparation programs.
Her initial response was to incorporate experts in the field and to
promote funding for the process. The director if the Division of
Associated Health Professions in the Bureau of Health Manpower of the
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Thomas Hatch, became
interested in the project. To ensure that the commonalities between
health educators across the spectrum of professions would be sufficient
enough to create a set of standards, Dr. Cleary spent a great amount of
time to create the first conference called the Bethesda Conference. In
attendance were interested professionals who covered the possibility of
creating credentialing within the profession.
With the success of the conference and the consensus that the
standardization of the profession was vital, those who organized the
conference created the National Task Force in the Preparation and
Practice of Health Educators. Funding for this endeavor became available
in January 1979, and role delineation became a realistic vision for the
future. They presented the framework for the system in 1981 and
published entry-level criteria in 1983. Seven areas of responsibility,
29 areas of competency and 79 sub-competencies were required of health
education professionals for approximately 20 years for entry-level
educators.
In 1986 a second conference was held in Bethesda, Maryland to further
the credentialing process. In June 1988, the National Task Force in the
Preparation and Practice of Health Educators became the National
Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC). Their
mission was to improve development of the field by promoting, preparing
and certifying health education specialists. The NCHEC has three
division boards that included preparation, professional development and
certification of health educator professionals. The third board, which
is called the Division Board of Certification of Health Education
Specialist (DBCHES), has the responsibility of developing and
administering the CHES exam. An initial certification process allowed
1,558 individuals to be chartered into the program through a
recommendation and application process. The first exam was given in
1990.
In order for a candidate to sit for an exam they must have either a
bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from an accredited institution,
and an official transcript that shows a major in health education,
Community Health Education, Public Health Education, or School Health
Education, etc. The transcript will be accepted if it reflects 25
semester hours or 37 quarter hours in health education preparation and
covers the 7 responsibilities covered in the framework.
In 1998 a project called the Competencies Update Project (CUP) began.
The purpose of the CUP project was to up-date entry-level requirements
and to develop advanced-level competences. Through research the CUP
project created the requirements for three levels, which included
entry-level, Advanced I and Advanced II educators.
Recently the Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) is
in the process of being created. It is an exam that will measure the
knowledge of the advanced levels and sub levels of the Seven Areas of
Responsibilities. The first MCHES exam is expected to be given in
October 2011.
In order to be eligible to take the MCHES exam you must have at least
a Master's degree in health education or related discipline along with a
least 25 credit hours related to health education. In addition, five
years of documented information of practice in health education and two
recommendations of past/present supervisors must be provided. A
vitae/resume must also be submitted.
The Competency Update Project (CUP), 1998-2004 revealed that there
were higher levels of health education practitioners, which is the
reasoning for the advancements for the MCHES. Many health educators felt
that the current CHES credential was an entry-level exam.
There will be exceptions made for those who have the Certification of
Health Education Specialist, that have been active for several
consecutive years. They will be required to participate in the MCHES
Experience Documentation Opportunity that will omit them from taking the
exam
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