What is the difference between certification maintenance and certification renewal?
Annual Certification Maintenance
As with most other professional licensures and certifications, the CSPHA, CSPHC and CSPHP are subject to an annual certification maintenance fee. Fees are established by the Certified Safe Patient Handling Professionals Board (CSPHPB). Please refer to the Fee Schedule in Appendix A for a breakdown of payment information. Reminders will be sent to the certificant thirty (30) days in advance of the due date, which is based on the original certification date and payments made in subsequent years. Late payments will result in an additional charge.
If you are an ASPHP member, your membership renewal fee is NOT the same as your certification maintenance fee.
Certification Renewal
The renewal cycle for all certificants is three years. Certificants must receive professional development hours (PDH) during each three-year renewal cycle:
- CSPHA – fifteen (15) hours
- CSPHC – twenty-four (24) hours
- CSPHP – thirty-six (36) hours
Certificants are required to track their professional development hours (PDH) as they earn them using the approved Professional Development Audit Tool. Notifications of random audits are sent via email from ASPHP Headquarters with a “read receipt” acknowledgment. Certificants who are randomly selected for audit will have 45 days to submit their required PDH and accompanying verification documentation. If a certificant is unable to produce their PDH and documentation within the allotted time frame, they will have the option of paying for a six-month extension. Rates for the extension are determined annually by the CSPHPB.
During the extension period, certification status will be changed to suspended, and the certificant will be removed from the Certificant Registry until all requirements have been met. If the certificant fails to meet the professional development requirements at the end of the six-month extension period, their certification will be terminated, and they will have to reapply through the regular certification process to reacquire their SPHM certification.
For more information on the maintenance and audit/renewal schedule, please refer to Appendix C. The time to count PDH is reset every three years for all certificants, regardless of being selected for audit or not. Failure to respond to an audit notice will result in a termination of certification. Any appeals for denial of PDH will be addressed through the Appeals Process.