FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Patient Advocate Certification Board Certifies Fifth Cohort of Board Certified Patient Advocates
ADA, OH, July 31 – After a protracted spring exam cycle, the Patient Advocate Certification Board (PACB) is happy to announce the certification of an additional 54 Board Certified Patient Advocates. This brings the total number of those who have earned the BCPA credential to 686.
The certification exam is typically administered at testing sites across the United States. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, all testing centers closed just after the beginning of the exam cycle. According to Exam Committee Chair, Heidi B. Kummer, MD, MPH, BCPA, “Although many registered candidates elected to transfer their registration to the fall 2020 cycle, we were ultimately able to complete the spring exams in mid-July and issue those results earlier this week.”
“COVID-19 continues to challenge effective and efficient delivery of high stakes exams like the Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA),” said PACB President, Christine North, PhD, MPH, BCPA. “With no end to the pandemic in sight, we are working diligently to determine how to best serve the needs of our current certificate holders as well as deliver the exam in a safe and secure environment. Nonetheless, we celebrate this new cohort of BCPAs. Despite significant disruption, this group of candidates demonstrated the kind of perseverance characteristic of professional patient advocates. “
The nonprofit PACB was organized in 2012 to establish ethical standards, professional competencies and best practices for professionals who work in the emerging field of patient advocacy. “Healthcare has become such a complex system, patients and families often face enormous challenges. Health/Patient Advocates can provide valuable assistance and certifications like the BCPA help to provide assurance of quality, safe and ethical conduct,” said Christine North, PhD, PACB President.
The PACB contracted with Professional Testing Corporation (PTC), an organization that develops, administers, and maintains certification exams, to guide the exam development from conception through administration and continues to collaborate for psychometric analysis to ensure fairness and accuracy of the examination.
Patient Advocates who earn the BCPA credential must be recertified every three years. Certified advocates are listed on the PACB website. The exam is available two times a year. The next testing period is scheduled for fall 2020. Contact help@pacboard.org to be notified when registration becomes available. Learn more at https://pacboard.org/getcertified/. The site also hosts news and developments about the organization and information related to exam registration and credential maintenance.
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Patient Advocate Certification Board, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focused on development and maintenance of certification for the profession of patient advocacy.