The APHSW Certification is joining the Hospice & Palliative Care Certification Center (HPCC)!
The Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC) and the Advanced Palliative and Hospice Social Work (APHSW) Board of Directors are excited to announce the transition of the Advanced Palliative and Hospice Social Work Certification (APHSW-C) to HPCC. The APHSW-C certification exam joins the five hospice and palliative programs within the HPCC certification portfolio.
- Enhanced technology;
- Continuation of the expert Social Work oversight of this important advanced practice social work certification;
- So much more!
This partnership will ensure the APHSW-C certification as a premiere exam among many of the existing Palliative & Hospice Care Professional certifications..
For Current APHSW-Certification holders
Over the next few months, you can expect to receive communication from both APHSW-C and HPCC to assist APHSW-C certificants through the transition. Please watch your email and the APHSW-C and HPCC websites for additional updates as they become available. Both organizations look forward to furthering efforts to provide hospice and palliative social workers the opportunity to earn and maintain their APHSW-C credential for years to come.
Questions you may have about this transition:
“With the strong foundation of social work ingenuity and perseverance built over the past several years, APHSW-C is now proud to lean into the decades of infrastructure and experience that HPCC offers. The certification will continue to be exclusive to social workers in the specialty of hospice and palliative care. The transition of the APHSW-C exam to HPCC supports our goal to solidify the longevity of this important credential.”
—Laurel Tropeano, LCSW, APHSW-C, president of the APHSW-C Board of Directors
HPCC and APHSW-C will work closely together to transition the certification exam, intellectual property, and organizational resources to HPCC’s operations over the next few months. The APHSW-C program will be fully integrated into HPCC’s operations by the end of 2022. APHSW-C certificants and candidates can expect to receive more information regarding many aspects of the credential soon.
In becoming a part of HPCC, current and future APHSW-C certificants will benefit from the expansive technologies and services offered by HPCC. HPCC has nearly 30 years of experience managing hospice and palliative care certification programs and long-standing relationships with industry-leading vendors. HPCC’s goal is for all candidates and certificants to have a convenient overall experience—from applying for an exam all the way through renewing a certification.
All recertification questions regarding the APHSW-C credential can be directed to APHSW-C until November 30, 2022. HPCC will send detailed information for APHSW-C certification and renewal in December 2022.
The APHSW-C examination will be offered in three windows in 2023: June, September, and December. Beginning in 2024, the APHSW-C examination will be offered in four windows: March, June, September, and December. These additional testing windows will provide greater flexibility to APHSW-C’s candidates throughout the year.
The cost for the APHSW-C exam in 2023 is currently under review by HPCC staff and organizational leaders. Updated exam pricing will be announced and posted on the HPCC website in December 2022.
Great news! Beginning in 2023, APHSW-C candidates will receive immediate scoring (PASS, FAIL) when they finish their exams.
Yes. HPCC examinations are currently offered both in approved PSI test centers and via Live Remote Proctoring (LRP). LRP is a secure way for a candidate to take an examination outside of the traditional test center utilizing technology to connect with a live professional proctor. LRP allows candidates to choose when and where they take HPCC examinations, making the pursuit of certification more convenient. Both testing modalities will be available to APHSW-C candidates starting in 2023. Each APHSW-C candidate will have the ability to select a preferred exam option.
There will be no changes in this area for APHSW-C candidates. HPCC works with a testing vendor named PSI for its examination applications and exam delivery. This is the same testing vendor APHSW-C has used since its inception.
All questions regarding your APHSW-C certification and renewal should be directed to APHSW-C until November 30, 2022. HPCC will send detailed information pertaining to the APHSW-C certification and renewal in December 2022.
HPCC communicates through a variety of vehicles, including e-mail. HPCC asks all APHSW-C certificants to confirm their contact information (mailing address, phone number, and email) with APHSW-C to ensure that future communications are delivered accurately and in a timely manner.
No. APHSW-C joining HPCC will not impact the content or scoring of the APHSW-C exam. HPCC will use the exam content and standards already established through the work of APHSW-C and its exam development committees.
Yes. The APHSW-C exam content will continue to be reviewed, edited, and developed exclusively by social workers from the specialty of hospice and palliative care.
Yes. HPCC is proud to announce that a social worker will be joining the HPCC Board of Directors beginning in 2023.
Volunteer opportunities for the APHSW-C examination begin with the recruitment of volunteers for the 2023 APHSW-C Role Delineation Study. A call for APHSW-C volunteers will begin in the fourth quarter of 2022. Additional volunteer opportunities for the APHSW-C Examination Development Committee, APHSW-C Item Writing Workshop, and Passing Point Study will be made available in 2023. Please check the HPCC website regularly because all available APHSW-C volunteer positions will be posted online as they become available.
Read the Press Release
Here is the Press Release about this exciting transition.
