One of the largest components to obtaining and maintaining a professional certification is professional development. Applicants and certificants must demonstrate the ability to expand their knowledge and skill set through continuing education. Professional development promotes proficiency and enhances the overall field by allowing individuals to share their knowledge with other colleagues through presentations, webinars, publications, research, etc. The Certified Safe Patient Handling Professionals™ offer a variety of options for applicants and certificants to obtain professional development hours (PDH). The amount of PDH required varies according to each certification level.
A NOTE TO ALL CLINICIAN & PROFESSIONAL APPLICANTS/CERTIFICANTS
A minimum of 25% of the total number of PDH required must be come from external sources (i.e., sources not affiliated with an employer).
CSPHCs – At least 4 PDH externally at time of application/6 PDH externally at time of renewal.
CSPHPs – At least 9 PDH externally at time of application and renewal.
What is the difference between a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) and a Contact Hour (CH), and how does this convert to a Professional Development Hour (PDH)?
- 1 CH = 60 mins = 1 PDH
- 1 CEU = 10 CH = 600 minutes = 10 PDH
| ID # | Activity | PDH Value | Max PDH | Verification Documentation |
| CONFERENCES/COURSES | ||||
| 1 | Attend professional conferences, workshops, seminars or webinars specific to SPHM. Topic may be specific to any of the elements listed among the nine core competencies; refer to the Certification Handbook for more information. | 1 Hour = 1 PDH | Unlimited | A signed letter or certificate of attendance issued by the sponsoring organization. Must include date(s), event title, attendee name, and contact hours/CEUs. |
| 2 | Attend professional conferences, workshops, seminars or webinars on topics supporting your role in the SPHM program. | 1 Hour = 1 PDH | Unlimited | Write one paragraph explaining how you used this information to benefit the SPHM program at your facility. AND Provide a signed letter or certificate of attendance issued by the sponsoring organization. Must include date(s), event title, attendee name, and contact hours/CEUs. |
| 3 | Attend SPHM technology in-services. Note: The same in-service may only be claimed once. |
1 Hour = 1 PDH | 3 for CSPHA 9 for CSPHC 9 for CSPHP |
A signed letter or certificate of attendance issued by the sponsoring organization/employer. Must include date(s), course title, attendee name, and duration of course. Note: Sign-in sheets will not be accepted as sole proof of attendance. |
| 4 | Attend employer-provided workplace continuing education. Topic must be SPHM-related. Note: The same in-service may only be claimed once. | 1 Hour = 1 PDH | 3 for CSPHA 9 for CSPHC 9 for CSPHP |
A signed letter or certificate of attendance issued by the employer. Must include date(s), course title, attendee name, and duration of course. Note: Sign-in sheets will not be accepted as sole proof of attendance. |
| 5 | Successfully complete education (e.g., certificate programs, online courses, workshops) with an assessment component at the end of the program. Topic must be specific to SPHM or SPHM-related. | 1 Hour = 1 PDH | Unlimited | A signed letter or certificate of attendance issued by the education provider. Must include date(s), course title, attendee name, contact hours/CEUs, and demonstrate successful completion of the program. *Visit this webpage for a complete list of acceptable providers. |
| 6 | Successfully complete academic coursework and obtain a passing grade at an accredited school of higher learning. Course must be SPHM-related. | 1 Credit = 2 PDH | 9 for CSPHA 9 for CSPHC 9 for CSPHP |
A transcript indicating dates(s) of course, title of course and number of credits received. An unofficial transcript is acceptable. Must demonstrate satisfactory completion of the coursework. AND Provide a copy of the course description illustrating how the content is relevant to SPHM. |
| E-MODULES | ||||
| 7 | Author an employer-based e-module with a quiz at the end. Topic must be specific to SPHM or SPHM-related. Note: The same or similar presentation may be claimed only once. | 1 Module = 1 PDH | 2 for CSPHA 2 for CSPHC 2 for CSPHP |
A signed letter from your employer. Must include the date(s), course title, and target audience (which employees will be required to complete the e-module annually). |
| INDEPENDENT LEARNING | ||||
| 8 | Read peer-reviewed, practice-related professional journal articles and/or textbook chapters, and write a report describing the implications for improving skills in one’s specific role. Topic may be specific to any of the elements listed among the nine core competencies; refer to the Certification Handbook for more information. | 2 Articles or 2 Chapters = 1 PDH | 4 for CSPHA 8 for CSPHC 10 for CSPHP |
Write an annotated bibliography and a report discussing how the articles/chapters have assisted with skill improvement in your current role. Must exceed 1000 words. The Self-Directed Learning Form must be signed and include the total number of hours spent on independent learning. |
| PRESENTING | ||||
| 9 | Serve as the primary or co-presenter at professional conferences (state, national or international), workshops, seminars or webinars specific to SPHM. Topic may be specific to any of the elements listed among the nine core competencies; refer to the Certification Handbook for more information. *Note: The same or similar presentation may be claimed a maximum of two times, as long as the presentation was given in two different settings. |
1 Hour = 1 PDH | Unlimited | A signed letter or official program listing from the sponsoring organization. Must include date(s), presentation title, your name as the presenter, and length of your presentation. |
| 10 | Serve as the primary or co-presenter at professional conferences (state, national or international), workshops, seminars or webinars on topics regarding your facility’s SPHM program. *Note: The same or similar presentation may be claimed a maximum of two times, as long as the presentation was given in two different settings. |
1 Hour = 1 PDH | Unlimited | Write one paragraph explaining how your facility has benefitted from having a SPHM program. AND Provide a signed letter or official program listing from the sponsoring organization. Must include date(s), presentation title, your name as the presenter, and length of your presentation. |
| 11 | Present SPHM technology in-services. 1 *Please Note: The same presentation may only be claimed once. |
1 Hour = 1 PDH | 3 for CSPHA 9 for CSPHC 9 for CSPHP |
A signed letter issued by your employer/sponsoring organization. Must include date(s), topic, your name as the presenter, and length of your presentation. Note: Sign-in sheets will not be accepted as sole proof of attendance. |
| 12 | Serve as the primary or co-presenter of a poster presentation at professional conferences (state, national or international), workshops or seminars. Topic must be SPHM-related. Note: The same presentation may only be claimed once. |
1 Poster = 1 PDH | Unlimited | A signed letter or official program listing from the sponsoring organization. Must include date(s), presentation title, your name as the presenter, and length of your presentation. |
| 13 | Serve as the primary or co-presenter for a local organization, group, or association on a SPHM practicerelated area. Topic must be SPHM-related. Note: The same presentation may only be claimed once. |
1 Hour = 1 PDH | Unlimited | A signed letter or official program listing from the sponsoring organization. Must include date(s), presentation title, your name as the presenter, and length of your presentation. |
| PROFESSIONAL SERVICE | ||||
| 14 | Peer review of a SPHM practice-related research article or textbook. | 1 Article or 1 Textbook = 1 PDH |
Unlimited | A signed letter from the publishing organization verifying your role as a Peer Reviewer |
| 15 | Write and submit an exam question that is accepted by the Certified Safe Patient Handling Professionals™ Examination Committee. Note: Only questions that are accepted and approved will receive credit. |
1 Question = 1 PDH | 3 for CSPHA 6 for CSPHC 6 for CSPHP |
Acknowledgement letter issued by the Certified Safe Patient Handling Professionals™ Examination Chair and recorded by the Certified Safe Patient Handling Professionals Board (CSPHPB). |
| 16 | Serve as an active ASPHP or Certified Safe Patient Handling Professionals™ committee member and participate in committee work. | 1 Committee = 1 PDH | 2 per year | Certificate issued by the ASPHP or Certified Safe Patient Handling Professionals™ Committee Chair. |
| PUBLISHING | ||||
| 17 | Primary or co-author of a SPHM practice-related article in a professional peer-reviewed publication. | 1 Article = 6 PDH | 3 for CSPHA 6 for CSPHC 9 for CSPHP |
Copy of published article or letter from editor. Must exceed 2000 words. If there are more than 2 authors listed for the article, include an affidavit attesting that your contribution was at least 50% of the writing effort. Note: If your article was accepted for publication, but has not yet been published, please provide a copy of the letter indicating acceptance. |
| 18 | Primary or co-author of a SPHM practice-related article in a professional non-peer-reviewed publication. | 1 Article = 3 PDH | 3 for CSPHA 6 for CSPHC 9 for CSPHP |
Copy of published article or letter from editor. Must exceed 2000 words. If there are more than 2 authors listed for the article, include an affidavit attesting that your contribution was at least 50% of the writing effort. Note: If your article was accepted for publication, but has not yet been published, please provide a copy of the letter indicating acceptance. |
| 19 | Primary or co-author of a chapter in a SPHM practicerelated professional textbook. | 1 Chapter = 3 PDH | 3 for CSPHA 6 for CSPHC 9 for CSPHP |
Copy of published chapter or letter from editor. Must exceed 2000 words. If there are more than 2 authors listed for the chapter, include an affidavit attesting that your contribution was at least 50% of the writing effort. Note: If your chapter was accepted for publication, but has not yet been published, please provide a copy of the letter indicating acceptance. |
| RESEARCH | ||||
| 20 | Serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) of a non-funded SPHM-related research project. | 6 PDH | Unlimited | An official copy of IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval. AND A written report discussing the following: 1. What were the findings of your research? As appropriate, please include statistical data analyses. 2. Was a clinical trial involved? If yes, please detail. 3. What was the duration of your research project (launch to study termination)? 4. How has your research benefited the SPHM community? 5. Have you published your research? If yes, please include. 6. Do you intend to use the results of your research to conduct further related studies? |
| 21 | Serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) of a funded SPHM-related research project. | 12 PDH | Unlimited | An official copy of IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval. AND An official copy the grant award letter from the grant funding agency. AND A written report discussing the following: 1. What were the findings of your research? As appropriate, please include statistical data analyses. 2. Was a clinical trial involved? If yes, please detail. 3. What was the duration of your research project (launch to study termination)? 4. How has your research benefited the SPHM community? 5. Have you published your research? If yes, please include. 6. Do you intend to use the results of your research to conduct further related studies? |