(updated January 2020)
As of early 2018, certification for health and patient advocates is available. Becoming certified by the Patient Advocate Certification Board means one has proven competency as a professional guide to a very complex health care system.
Benefits to Becoming a Certified Patient Advocate
There are many benefits to becoming PACB certified, as the Patient Advocate Certification Board has outlined on its website. The initials BCPA (Board Certified Patient Advocate) are earned by those who pass the exam.
Of much interest to APHA members is that the benefits of earning certification for professional advocates and care managers may eventually mean the difference between success and failure of a new private practice. This is because the advocate-seeking public will begin to identify certification as confirmation that the person they hire is competent to help them. An advocate who is not certified may not be trusted to have the same skill level or ability to help, or to know what the patient or caregiver (or employer) who does the hiring will think the advocate needs to know.
How Certification Will Affect your APHA Membership
Many APHA members have asked how the availability of certification will affect them and their APHA membership. We’ll answer that question here:
In the initial few years of the exam’s availability, there will be no requirement for APHA members to be certified. In fact, one of APHA’s membership benefits is to help those who aren’t yet certified achieve that certification. Especially in the early days of considering a career as a professional, independent advocate members need support from a helping hand, and not one that stands in their way.
Those who do become certified are able to use that certification as their proof they meet requirements to be listed in the AdvoConnection Directory.
Further, those who are listed in the directory, and have earned their BCPA, may request the BCPA bullet be added to their listings.
Eventually (estimated by years 2023 or 2024) membership may break out like this:
- PACE members (beginning membership) will have no certification requirement.
- Premium members will have no certification requirement.
- Premium +ADL members – To be added to the AdvoConnection directory (shift from Premium to Premium +ADL) current certification may become a requirement for a directory listing. Listed members will have many certifications to choose from, including BCPA, CCM, CSA, CMC, CASWCM, CSWCM
(It is possible that long-time advocates who have been members for a period of time will be grandfathered and may not be required to prove certification.)
Earning CEs to Maintain Your Certification
This is a very important topic and need and is addressed in a separate article: Earning Continuing Education Credits (CEs or CEUs)
APHA’s sister site, PracticeUP! Online, offers some courses that allow you to earn CEs. Find a list of those courses here.
One last important note:
Some APHA members believe that APHA is the certifying organization. That is not true.*
APHA, The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates, and the PACB (Patient Advocate Certification Board) are two entirely separate organizations.
- APHA is the professional and educational organization that supports those who are somewhere in the process of developing or growing a private, independent, health or patient advocacy practice.
- The PACB is a certifying body. It is the standards-setting organization with universal approval and recognition. It is not a membership organization, nor does it provide education to help advocates become certified.
Smart and savvy advocates will maintain their interest and collaboration with both organizations because they complement each other and support the recognition and respect of our chosen profession. They not only co-exist, but they rely on each other to help promote the profession of advocacy.
More BCPA Resources:
The Exam and Preparation
- Not sure if you want to earn your BCPA? Take a free course online to help you decide whether investing the time, money, and effort to certification is worth it for you at PracticeUP!
- Register for the certification exam.
- Prepare for the exam. Find study materials or courses:
- The PACBoard’s Study Guide
- Courses available to those who are preparing for the exam
- Find some good exam-taking hints in this article: What You Should Know, But Haven’t Asked, about Patient Advocate Certification
- Find other members’ assistance and support in the APHA Connect! Discussion Forum. Link to the Forum, then search for “certification” or “BCPA” in the Forum search box (in the sidebar). You’ll find all the conversations that have taken place, many with great approaches to studying for the exam.
- Learn more about the profession of patient advocacy.
After the exam, and earning CEs (Continuing Education Units) to Maintain your BCPA
- If you are looking for your BCPA exam results, you’ll receive them from the PACBoard. APHA does not have access to your results and cannot supply them to you.
- If you have already earned your BCPA, you may request we add the bullet (logo) to your AdvoConnection Directory listing.
- Find pre-approved CE providers at the PACBoard website.
- Take online courses (free and discounted for APHA members) at the PracticeUP! Online website.
* We note that it’s easy to see why people might mix them up. Trisha Torrey, the founder and director of APHA, is a former Board member of the PACB.
Questions? info@aphadvocate.org