 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Richard W. Wilson, DHSc, MPH, Venugopal Bellum, MBBS, MPH, and Manjunath Ramaiah, MBBS, MPH. Department of Public Health, Western Kentucky University, Western Kentucky University, 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576, 270-745-6397, Richard.Wilson@wku.edu
For over a decade, the National Center for Health Education Credentialing has maintained a system of examining eligible applicants to award the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) designation. In order for these health educators to maintain CHES status, they are required to accumulate a minimum of 75 continuing education contact hours (CECH) over the five-year certification period. CHESs are encouraged to accumulate a minimum of 15 CECHs per year. A state university in a midwestern state serves as the provider of CECH units for all continuing education programs conducted in that state. This means the provider receives applications from individuals and groups proposing to conduct an event for which CECH units are sought. Upon review by a panel of CHESs, the provider determines whether the granting of CECH units is appropriate. Part of the review process is determining in which category (among a set of seven) of responsibilities and competencies the proposed event supports. The responsibilities and competencies are the standard categories recognized by the health education professional organizations. This study was an analysis of patterns of CECH units as they fell into the seven categories. Based on a sample of 416 events submitted for review for CECH unit approval during a two year period, it was possible to describe strengths and weaknesses in the availability of continuing education opportunities for health educators. Discussion of policy and practice implications is included.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Certification, Health Education
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.