The following is a press release being issued to the media. We’re pleased to announce our newly certified advocates!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gilbert, AZ, November 20 – After several prolonged exam cycles, the Patient Advocate Certification Board (PACB) is happy to announce the certification of 203 advocates during calendar year 2020. This brings the total number of those who have earned the BCPA credential to 890.

Despite significant challenges facing safe and effective delivery of high stakes examinations like the BCPA, we are uplifted at the perseverance and resolve this cohort demonstrated in their efforts to earn the certification. According to Exam Committee Chair, Heidi B. Kummer, MD, MPH, BCPA, “The unpredictable and evolving nature of the pandemic made it particularly difficult to execute anything according to plan. Fortunately, under the leadership of President, Melissa Cardine and Immediate Past President, Christine North, we were ultimately able to deliver the exam in a safe manner for candidates while maintaining necessary security protocols for PACB.”

President Melissa Cardine, MSN, RN, BCPA adds, “Even with all the disruption during the past year, we are witnessing an explosion of interest in patient advocacy as a professional practice. Local groups of practicing advocates are starting to form and support one another. Not only does the advocacy community benefit from collaboration between and amongst each other; moreover, the public benefits from the increased awareness and access to services.”

“Melissa is the perfect choice to lead the organization going forward. As a practicing patient advocate and business owner, she is uniquely attuned to best support the professional patient advocacy community,” said, Immediate Past President, Christine North, PhD, MPH, BCPA. “My service as President has been a once in a lifetime experience and I am grateful for the opportunity to not only help bring professional status to the credential but also elevate the role of patient advocacy as a recognized profession.”

The nonprofit PACB was organized in 2012 to establish professional competencies, best practices and ethical standards for professionals who work in the emerging field of patient advocacy. 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 spring 2021. 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.

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.