In a field as multifaceted and rapidly changing as public health, practitioners must have a strong knowledge base as well as an ongoing commitment to education. Students and current practitioners alike have been working to become certified in public health to demonstrate their grasp of issues spanning public health and ensure that they remain up to date on developments in the field.
“Our nurses, dietitians, sanitarians and physicians all carry a professional license to engage in their facet of the varied work that is public health,” former APHA President Thomas Quade, MPH, MA, CPH, told The Nation’s Health. “The public health professional should be recognizable as such.”
The CPH credential is earned through an exam administered by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. In the early 2000s, a task force was formed to find ways to further professionalize public health. It decided that an industry credential could serve such a purpose, said National Board of Public Health Examiners President Allison Foster, MBA, CAE.
The goal of CPH certification “is to bring the public health community together so they all have a common body of knowledge but also bring visibility to the field,” Foster, an APHA member, told The Nation’s Health.
Students of an accredited school of program of public health are eligible to take the CPH exam as are alumni who have completed their degree requirements for a master’s or doctoral degree. In addition, people with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and five years of subsequent public health work experience are eligible to take the exam.
The 200-question test covers five core public health competencies: biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health services and policy management and social and behavioral sciences. In addition to scientific knowledge, the exam covers seven cross-cutting areas necessary for public health practitioners — such as diversity and culture, leadership and professionalism — and assesses general public health principles.
Because the credential is not required to practice public health, it can help job seekers stand out in their applications. Being certified in public health shows an applicant has gone beyond standard requirements to master a scope of subjects.
“In public health, there are so many different programs and specialties,” Jaime Corvin, PhD, MSPH, CPH, associate professor in the Department of Global Health at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, told The Nation’s Health. “This tells an employer or a client or the world, ‘I have the skills and understanding of the science of public health. No matter where I received my degree, I have met nationally recognized standards.’”
However, the CPH credential can be just as beneficial to people who are already working in public health, as they must continuously take part in relevant professional development activities. Quade, who is one of two APHA appointees to the National Board of Public Health Examiners’ Board of Directors, earned his Master’s in Public Health before the CPH exam began. His motivation to earn the credential was not related to career aspirations, but rather, deepening his commitment to public health practice.
People who hold the CPH credential must be recertified every two years once they pass the exam. There are a number of ways to maintain CPH certification, such as participating in professional events or volunteer and service activities. Courses taken at colleges or universities or online also suffice.
Participants at a 2016 Learning Institute learn about the CPH exam. A CPH learning course will be offered at APHA 2018.
Photo by Michele Late
“This required continuing education ensures CPH (holders) are on a lifelong path of learning and professional development, that they remain current on the scientific developments in public health and that they continue to grow their skills over their careers,” APHA member Alan Melnick, MD, MPH, CPH, National Board of Public Health Examiners Executive Board member, told The Nation’s Health.
Continued education also fits into the larger goal of filling in knowledge gaps to promote collaboration in the field. A public health worker whose expertise is in program planning should have some grasp of health policy, and an expert in quantitative analysis should understand environmental health, Foster said.
“The field of public health is broad — by certifying public health professionals, we can hope to increase collaboration across sub-disciplines as well as increase recognition of public health as a profession committed to meeting common goals,” said Melnick, a health officer at the Clark County Public Health Department in Washington.
The exam and its administration have been changing to suit public health workers’ needs. It is now offered Monday through Saturday year-round at testing centers around the country. The content of the exam has also become more applicable to people working in public health, focusing more on practice than rote knowledge. Its emphasis on practice will be even more apparent in January, thanks to changes stemming from a job task analysis of more than 5,000 public health professionals. In addition, the Council on Education for Public Health — the governing body of schools of public health and public health programs — developed a new set of foundational competencies that will be reflected in the revamped exam.
Through APHA, those interested in taking the CPH exam can access a range of preparation resources and training. APHA Press has released “Certified in Public Health: Exam Review Guide,” edited by Corvin and APHA member Karen Liller, PhD, EdS, MA, CPH, a professor in the Department of Community and Family Health at the University of South Florida College of Public Health. Nearly 20 faculty from the university contributed to the new book, which covers topics that CPH credential seekers will encounter when they take the exam.
Corvin will also lead a CPH exam review at APHA’s Annual Meeting and Expo in November as part of APHA’s Learning Institutes. The two-day course will take place Saturday, Nov. 10, to Sunday, Nov. 11.
For more information on the Annual Meeting CPH Learning Institute, visit www.apha.org/learning-institutes. For more on the CPH exam and credential, visit www.nbphe.org.
Editor’s note: This article was corrected post-publication.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
