By Doug Weinbaum and Linda Anguish, SPHR, I.C.E. Staff

I.C.E. has launched the premier certification program for credentialing professionals. The I.C.E. Certified Credentialing Professional (ICE-CCP) allows credentialing professionals to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities in governance, program operations, and assessment development and validation. Candidates who are first to sit for the exam will pioneer this credential and lead the way in advancing the credentialing profession.

I.C.E. began exploring the need and market for certification for credentialing professionals more than 10 years before launching the program. The first job analysis of credentialing professionals was completed by I.C.E., with the assistance of several industry partners in 2008-2009.

Based on this analysis, I.C.E. developed and released the Certificate for Credentialing Specialist Program in 2014. While the certificate program is valued by its stakeholders and the more than 850 individuals who have completed it, market research completed for I.C.E. in 2018-2019 indicated a certification that provides a designation was desired to recognize competence, add value to the profession, provide a clear career path and ultimately benefit individuals and organizations. As the professional home for credentialing organizations and individuals, I.C.E. serves as the primary resource for best practices and is therefore uniquely qualified to develop this certification opportunity for credentialing professionals.

In February 2020, the I.C.E. Board of Directors approved the development of a certification program for credentialing professionals and shortly after, a steering committee representing well-known experts in credentialing across a variety of occupations and professions was formed to guide the process. The I.C.E. Board of Directors requested that the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs provide the foundation for development of the program. A consultant experienced in the development of new certification programs was engaged in April 2020 for a one-year period to provide additional expertise.

Following an open call for volunteers, approximately 100 credentialing professionals with diversified experience stepped forward and offered to serve as subject matter experts. These individuals served on the Job Analysis or Standard Setting panels, wrote draft examination items and participated in the review of beta examination forms, contributing to the high standards of quality expected by the profession. 

“This credential will independently assess and validate the knowledge and skills of professionals to assure that best practices in credentialing serve a diverse pool of stakeholders, including the public,” says William Ellis, MS, RPh, executive director of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties and chair of the ICE-CCP Steering Committee. “Further, it will elevate and recognize professional standards, advance the best interests of those who use or rely on professional certification — such as employers, government/regulatory bodies and the general public — as well as of individual professionals themselves who achieve certified status.”

Those who pass the exam and become ICE-CCP certified will:

• Distinguish themselves from others in the field by demonstrating that their skills, knowledge and expertise align with the competencies required by the credentialing field;
• Demonstrate that they understand the interplay between governance, program operations, and assessment development and validation;
• Benefit from continual learning opportunities through recertification requirements; and
• Demonstrate their dedication to the credentialing field, and their desire to uphold and promote credentialing standards.

Further details on the program, including eligibility requirements and examination content, are available at www.credentialingexcellence.org/certification.

Be one of the first to earn your ICE-CCP!