Global quality assurance of health education specialists: Considerations in certification

Establishing a system of quality assurance is a critical component of ensuring a competent health education workforce. In the U.S., the voluntary Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credential as conferred by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) has been in existence since 1989. In 2011, NCHEC established an advanced-level certification referred to as Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES). The first cohort of MCHES was conferred using a unique process that identified, reviewed and approved advanced-level activities and experiences of individual professionals. In 2010, the South Korean government endorsed a certification examination, the Korean Certified Health Education Specialist examination. Since 2010, there have been 4 open examination periods for National Standing as Korean Certified Health Education Specialists, and at present, there are about 6,900 certified. In the US, 819 individuals achieved the MCHES certification via the introductory, time-limited experience documentation opportunity. To ensure effective practice by certified individuals, it is critical the global health workforce establish core competencies and measure individual competency. The voluntary CHES certification has been an accepted standard for more than 20 years. The one-time, six-month opportunity in certifying advanced-level health education specialists (MCHES) provided a possible method to evaluate professional competency. The South Korean government endorsement of the certification influenced the rapid acceptance of the credential. Collectively, the lessons learned from various certification approaches across the globe can influence future efforts to ensure a competent global health education workforce. This presentation will describe processes and lessons learned from both countries' perspectives.