Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions (06/10/26) McMahon, Graham T.; Singer, Steve

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education developed two certificate programs to help continuing education (CE) professionals demonstrate applied competence in accreditation and data stewardship. The programs, Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE and Data Management in Accredited CE, include competency-based, remotely proctored assessments. The assessments were developed through blueprinting, expert review, pilot testing, item analysis, and empirical standard setting, and they feature scenario-based multiple-choice questions and an open-response component. In the initial cohort, 118 participants completed the Standards assessment and 76 completed the Data Management assessment, with 80% and 84% passing, respectively. Internal consistency was high for the Standards assessment and acceptable for Data Management. The open-response results showed consistent identification of core issues but variability in systems-level planning and communication. Overall, the findings support the validity and practicality of certificate-based assessments for verifying applied competence, with positive learner feedback and potential to strengthen professional standards in the CE workforce.

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