“When I earned my RPSGT credential, I thought I had earned a ‘credential for life.’ Why doesn’t the BRPT allow grandfathering for the RPSGT credential, exempting longtime credential holders from the requirement to recertify?” That’s a question I see raised on message boards on a regular basis. The answer is very straightforward.
The RPSGT exam is the only exam specific to the sleep field that is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the accrediting arm of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE). NCCA accreditation standards are rigorous. They call for certification programs to have a strong mechanism in place to measure and enhance the continued competence of all certificants. That mechanism is recertification. NCCA standards prohibit “grandfathering;” we cannot allow credential holders to continue to use the RPSGT credential and offer them an exemption from the recertification requirement.
The BRPT’s recertification requirements assure that all RPSGTs maintain current knowledge and skills. This is particularly important in our rapidly evolving field. Simply put, grandfathering is not an option. A grandfathering policy would mean loss of NCCA accreditation for the RPSGT exam, and that would not be acceptable.
NCCA accreditation represents independent third-party validation of all processes involved in the development and delivery of the RPSGT exam. We’re very proud of the NCCA accreditation the RPSGT exam has achieved. NCCA accreditation has been critical in winning recognition of the RPSGT credential as proof of professional competency in state legislatures, before state medical and licensing boards, and in CMS reimbursement guidelines.
With more than 17,000 RPSGTs worldwide and BRPT’s strong 32-year history of providing a robust and valid credentialing program, the RPSGT credential will remain the gold standard in sleep technology.
Many of you have begun the active RPSGT recertification process and are logging your CECs into BRPT’s free online recertification platform. To help facilitate the recertification process and to answer any questions you may have, I’ll be conducting a free one-hour webinar, courtesy of ADVANCE magazine, on February 24 at 1:00 EST. To register, go to http://respiratory-care-sleep-medicine.advanceweb.com/Webinar/Editorial-Webinar/RPSGT-Recertification-A-Primer.aspx. I hope you’ll join me!
Janice East, RPSGT, R. EEG T.
BRPT President
