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Become a Board Certified Patient Advocate Today
Championing patient well-being through a universally recognized certification for patient and health advocates
What is BCPA Certification
In our complex system of health care, certifications help to provide assurance of quality, safe and ethical conduct. Across industries, certification translates to confidence and trust, and is valued by consumers worldwide. Certification can help guide consumers to locate the most qualified service providers available. To that end, the Patient Advocate Certification Board (PACB) endorses certification (by examination) for all individuals in the field of patient advocacy.
Certification is one-part of a process called, “credentialing.” It focuses specifically on the individual and is an indication of current competence in the specialized area of patient advocacy practice. Passing the examination for Board Certified Patient Advocate creates and promotes competence and professionalism in the field of patient advocacy, provides formal recognition on behalf of practicing patient advocates and enhances consumer safety, ensuring patients have a voice in their care.
Certification can lead to better visibility, opportunities, and jobs. In today’s increasingly complex and highly-specialized healthcare system, credentials are more important than ever. Sure, you know you’ve got the skills to do the job, but how do you convince potential clients and employers you do? For many career-minded professional patient advocates, certification is often the answer. For some patient advocates, certification is recognized as a valuable way to prove professional credentials to both health care providers as well as patients and family care givers.
Blog Entries
PACB Certifies Fourth Cohort
November 11, 2019 The following is a press release being issued to the media. We’re pleased to announce our newly certified advocates! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Patient Advocate Certification Board Certifies Fourth Cohort of Board-Certified Patient Advocates ADA, OH,...
New BCPA Community
PACB Launches New Website and Online Community for Board Certified Patient Advocates Commensurate with the rapid growth of the field of Patient and Health Advocacy, the expanding interest in and the number of Board Certified Patient Advocates (BCPAs), and our...
PACB Response to Cleveland Plain Dealer Article
On Sunday, September 29, 2019, the Cleveland Plain Dealer published a newspaper article about Patient Advocates and Hospital Ombudspersons. I was pleased to see such a thorough article addressing our industry, especially the clear distinction between the work of...
Finding an Advocate Should Not be Hard
Finding an Advocate Should Not Be Like Looking for a Needle in a Haystack: Tips for Independent Patient/Health Advocates Guest Post by Anne Llewellyn, MS, BHSA, RN-BC, CCM, CRRN, Board Member, PACB One of the biggest challenges independent advocates face...
PACB Certifies 3rd Cohort of BCPAs
April 23, 2019 The following is a press release being issued to the media. We’re pleased to announce our newly certified advocates! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Patient Advocate Certification Board Certifies Third Cohort of Board-Certified Patient Advocates ADA,...
Top Resources for Patient Advocates
Many of you who follow PACB have met or know of Anne Llewellyn, RN-BC, MS, BHSA, CCM, CRRN. Anne is both highly credentialed and experienced in clinical aspects of healthcare, but currently focuses her efforts primarily in patient advocacy. You can follow...
Now That You Are a BCPA, What’s Next?
Guest Post by Anne Llewellyn, PACB Board Treasurer Congratulations on achieving your Board Certification in Patient Advocacy! Now that you are a BCPA, you will want to maintain it and plan for re-certification. Your certification is valid for three years....
PACB Certifies 2nd Cohort of BCPAs
The following is a press release being issued to the media. We’re pleased to announce our newly certified advocates! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Patient Advocate Certification Board Certifies Second Cohort of Board Certified Patient Advocates GLEN...
How a Certification Exam is Developed
Did you ever wonder how a national certification examination is developed? If so, take a minute to read this article from Vita Greco, MA, Director of Psychometric Services, Professional Testing Corporation(PTC). In this article Ms. Greco,...
PACB Issues Updated Certification Exam Handbook
PACB today released an updated version of the Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) Candidate Handbook. Most of the updates are minor and related to reorganization of content for clarity and readability. One edit of significance is the addition of a “Transfer Policy.”...