Interdisciplinary team members for hospice care and palliative care can become certified in their respective disciplines lending credibility to your knowledge, commitment and specialization in caring for those living with serious illness. Generally, the certification process is similar for every discipline:
- Graduation from an accredited college or university -verified through transcript along with coursework in some specific courses and practicum time depending on the discipline seeking certification.
- Hold a current, unrestricted licensed in the state of practice, if required.
- Specific number of hours working in the field, sometimes with supervision, prior to application for the test.
- Adhere to their professionās code of conduct/ethics
Cost for the evidence-based, best practice exam will range anywhere from $515 for APRNs to $280 for LPNs. These expenses can often be defrayed through membership with a professional organization. The savings may cover membership dues.
- Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) membership: Nurses (all levels) receive study resources and testing at a discounted rate
- Social Work in Hospice and Palliative Care Network (SWHPN), HPNA, and The Alliance for Care at Home (The Alliance) membership: Social Workers receive study resources and testing discounts.
- The Association of Professional Chaplains (APC): Chaplains receive a discount on prep course and discounts on courses and conferences through Spiritual Care Association (SCA) membership.
- The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) offers Pharmacists discounts on education.Ā Ā The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) or the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) offers pharmacists with discounted study resources.
Membership with discipline specific professional organizations provide not only discounts for specialty certification, it also provides you with:
- Access to professional colleagues,
- Evidence based care modalities,
- Updates on state and federal regulations impacting your practice
- It looks good on your CV!
For more information, check out LifeCircleās website under hospice medical professionals tab or the palliative care medical professionals tab, where you can select adult palliative care-either primary or specialty palliative care, or pediatric palliative care and/or specialty or primary palliative care.
