CPH Certified in Public Health

[Stonybeach]

There is a lot of talk about the MPH, DrPH, PhD in Public Health. What about the alternative pathways to certification in Public Health?
Wouldn't it be better to pursue the Certified Public Health (CPH) credential from the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE)? https://www.nbphe.org/certified-in-publi...uirements/

I'm looking into the pathway for master's degree holders who have 3 years of public health experience based on the "Ten Essential Public Health Services." https://www.cdc.gov/public-health-gatewa...vices.html

The CDC offers numerous free courses online that align with the core requirements. However, one may need a statistics refresher course.
https://www.cdc.gov/training-publichealt...ealth.html
https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/php/trainingand...w-101.html
https://www.cdc.gov/environmental-health...index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/training-publichealt...ology.html

Additionally, the study guide by APHA: https://secure.apha.org/imis/ItemDetail?...ATEGORY=BK

The exam is $385 and offers discounts as low as $250 for members of various associations. https://www.nbphe.org/certified-in-publi...discounts/

I prefer to study independently and earn the prestigious CPH credential than spend tens of thousands of dollars on public health degrees, especially since I hold healthcare-related degrees and credentials (DHA, MSN, FNP-C) coupled with years of experience in the public health sector, including vaccine research and health education. I took some practice exams; they were not too difficult!

I am not starting this thread to dissuade folks from pursuing graduate degrees in Public Health but to consider alternatives to those with graduate degrees and public health experience. By the way, it appears one's public health experience can be "global."

[bluebooger]

> Wouldn't it be better to pursue the Certified Public Health (CPH) credential from the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE)?

just did a search on indeed for NBPHE in the united states and nothing showed up

searched for CPH and almost everything was for a company called CPH International -- none of them were Certified Public Health related

> the prestigious CPH credential

who has determined that it is prestigious and what criteria did they use ?

https://www.reddit.com/r/publichealth/co...the_money/

https://www.reddit.com/r/publichealth/co..._worth_it/

[Stonybeach]

> Wouldn't it be better to pursue the Certified Public Health (CPH) credential from the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE)?

just did a search on indeed for NBPHE in the united states and nothing showed up

searched for CPH and almost everything was for a company called CPH International -- none of them were Certified Public Health related

> the prestigious CPH credential

who has determined that it is prestigious and what criteria did they use ?

https://www.reddit.com/r/publichealth/co...the_money/

https://www.reddit.com/r/publichealth/co..._worth_it/

Perhaps with some background on why you are interested in pursuing public health, a dialogue about your question on the value of certification would follow.

Credentialing: "After years of debate, the leadership of the public health community has decided it is time to provide a general credential in the field of public health.1,2 Discussions of credentialing in public health have been underway for at least two decades..."
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1888516/

Exam
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28640658/

I recommend researching peer-reviewed articles rather than anecdotes on "Reddit"; otherwise, no one will take you seriously.

[Heartstrings]

I live in Texas and we have state certification for community health workers (CHW). I think other states me offer that certification as well. They do public health work. In my state, you can do an online course in classroom hours and practicum certified by the state and get certified. The classes I have seen cost around $750. These CHW work with community nutrition and sexually transmitted infection control and testing. I would think that board certification extra.

[bluebooger]

LOL, you have provided nothing that says it is a prestigious certificate

your 2nd "peer reviewed" article is about a study conducted by the National Board of Public Health Examiners themselves, the people who issue the certificate

that's like Microsoft conducting a study that says they've updated their MS Excel certification to cover the latest needs in the analytics business so everyone should pay for and get Excel certified -- well, if Microsoft says its true then it must be, right ? LOL
 
your first article is from 17 years ago and says
After years of debate, the leadership of the public health community has decided it is time to provide a general credential in the field of public health

so, 17 years ago they decided it was time to provide a general credential -- yet there are no job listings on indeed that mention the certification at all LOL

you put down reddit posts, yet those are actual experiences of people looking for jobs and people who review resumes

I give much more credence those people than to the National Board of Public Health Examiner who have a monetary interest in saying their certification is good to have LOL

hey, if you don't want to take me seriously fine,

but don't pretend that you're posting reliable studies when one of them is conducted by the providers of the certificate 

hey, remember when cigarette companies got medical doctors to say smoking wasn't bad for your health ? HA HA HA 

go ahead and post some job postings from the last 12 months that require or prefer that certificate instead of an MPH, DrPH, PhD in Public Health.

then we can talk about it being better and prestigious

[Stonybeach]

Are you interested in public health or are you simply a troll? My vote is you are a troll and to be ignored for rambling nonsense. "lol"

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Universities that mention the Certified Public Health credential. Please don't take my word for it!

Boston University: https://www.bu.edu/sph/alumni/benefits/cph-exam/
Brigham Young University: https://ph.byu.edu/mph/public-health-certifications
Liberty University: https://www.liberty.edu/health-sciences/...ic-health/
Duke University: https://nursing.duke.edu/news/mountz-ear...credential
NYU: https://publichealth.nyu.edu/programs/ad...lic-health
CUNY: https://sph.cuny.edu/students/cph-exam/
University of Wisconsin: https://uwm.edu/publichealth/about/ "The voluntary certification, administered in exam form, demonstrates that an individual has mastered the core competencies of public health."

It is a valid exam! Certification is noteworthy for those who want to demonstrate "mastery" in their field. NBPHE offers an alternative pathway for those who meet the requirements without getting a public health degree. I will not withdraw my estimation as "prestigious."

[turbotortuga]

Are you interested in public health or are you simply a troll? My vote is you are a troll and to be ignored for rambling nonsense. "lol"

---

Universities that mention the Certified Public Health credential. Please don't take my word for it!

Boston University: https://www.bu.edu/sph/alumni/benefits/cph-exam/
Brigham Young University: https://ph.byu.edu/mph/public-health-certifications
Liberty University: https://www.liberty.edu/health-sciences/...ic-health/
Duke University: https://nursing.duke.edu/news/mountz-ear...credential
NYU: https://publichealth.nyu.edu/programs/ad...lic-health
CUNY: https://sph.cuny.edu/students/cph-exam/
University of Wisconsin: https://uwm.edu/publichealth/about/   "The voluntary certification, administered in exam form, demonstrates that an individual has mastered the core competencies of public health."

It is a valid exam! Certification is noteworthy for those who want to demonstrate "mastery" in their field. NBPHE offers an alternative pathway for those who meet the requirements without getting a public health degree. I will not withdraw my estimation as "prestigious."

I believe what he's trying to say is that this "certification" seems great in theory, but will it actually get you a job against others who have formal education or an actual degree in Public Health? That's the real value of any cerification versus education argument. If it isn't relevant in that conversation, then it reaaly doesn't have any value. It may be a "nice to have" but without employers who are actually looking for it or hiring personnel who have it, then it's just a waste of time/money.

For instance, I'd compare this to the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) License in the Accounting profession. In the Accounting world, the CPA is the gold standard. You can have a Master's in Accounting (MAcc) or even a Doctorate, but you aren't realy going to beat out many candidates who have Bachelors only but also have a valid CPA License. So in essence, the CPA is more sought after by employers than additional formal education with everything else being equal.