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The Association for the Health Care Environment (AHE) is a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association. AHE represents environmental services professionals and other stakeholders with an interest in caring for the health care environment. AHE offers several certifications and certificate programs for all levels of the profession, from director to front-line technician:
- Certified Health Care Environmental Services Professional (CHESP). The CHESP certification by examination validates requisite knowledge and competency in management and leadership of health care environmental services across seven content domains: regulatory compliance; planning, design and construction; environmental sanitation operations; waste management; textile management; financial stewardship; and administration.
- Certified Health Care Environmental Services Technician (CHEST). This unique program utilizes a train-the-trainer model to deliver an in-house program that provides evidence-based, best-practice training and a path for front-line technicians to demonstrate entry-level competency by examination. Core competencies for this program include: employing proper and consistent cleaning and disinfection techniques, and demonstrating mastery of knowledge for selecting, handling, cleaning and disinfecting chemicals appropriate to the circumstance. The program employs customized gaming and interactive learning exercises with a focus on why processes and procedures need to be followed consistently and correctly. CHEST program development was underwritten by Clorox Healthcare.
- Certified Surgical Cleaning Technician (CSCT). This program utilizes a train-the-trainer model to deliver an in-house training program that provides evidence-based, best-practice training and a path to certification to support the competencies of cleaning technicians responsible for executing proper procedures in room cleaning and disinfection techniques, critical to maintaining high-stakes surgical environments. CSCT program development was underwritten by Ecolab.
“These programs have a profound positive impact on the employees, their organizations and patients,” says Pam Toppel, AHE president. “The results and data demonstrate expression of a more confident, well-trained, and professional team,” she says.
Visit AHE online for more information on its certifications.
This article was contributed by AHE
