Richard Forbus, MBA-HCM, CCHP-A, Vice President of Program Development
I have always loved a challenge. Maybe that explains why I joined the Marine Corps and, when my deployment ended, pursued a career in law enforcement. I enjoy tackling tough assignments and demanding tasks. The desire to more deeply understand the complexities of correctional health care was a significant factor in my decision to pursue my current position with NCCHC. I know we face many challenges in delivering effective, efficient, and collaborative care to the people in our nation’s jails, prisons, and juvenile facilities – and I want to be part of the solution.
That desire (and my persistent love of a challenge) is also why I chose to pursue certification as a CCHP-A (Advanced). I wanted to demonstrate my commitment to moving the correctional health care field forward.
Correctional health professionals tend to focus on the NCCHC Standards as the foundation of knowledge necessary to deliver high-quality health care and achieve good outcomes. That is true and important to understand. Earning certification as a CCHP demonstrates an individual’s mastery of the standards and is an important measure of the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are specific to correctional health care.
But it is the collective effort of health care professionals and custody staff working together, with the same foundation of knowledge and toward the same goals, that ultimately makes quality health care and good outcomes a reality.
I suspected that earning advanced certification would be a significant challenge for me, coming as I do from a law enforcement and custody background rather than a clinical one. But I am dedicated to self-improvement, lifelong learning, whatever you want to call the force that makes us want to do more and learn more. I knew that facing the CCHP-A challenge was necessary for me in order to continue learning and growing.
The process itself was a challenge. From the application through the written examination, I must admit that I sometimes doubted myself. The application is extensive, requiring details about the applicant’s experience and contributions to the field of correctional health care. The study topics for the exam are wide-reaching. The test itself is a four-hour examination consisting of eight essay questions.
As I prepared for the exam, I found myself asking questions: Have I done enough to qualify for the test? How will it look, as an NCCHC employee, if I fail? Is this even worth the effort? I am sure everyone who has applied and taken the exam has asked themselves the same questions. But I knew I will never advance and improve myself, personally or professionally, without making the effort and putting in the work.
I view becoming a CCHP-A as more than just showing knowledge of NCCHC standards. Becoming a CCHP-A recognizes me for my career accomplishments and contributions to the field, with the expectation that those contributions and efforts will continue and grow.
What I did not realize as I was studying for the exam is that there are relatively few individuals with advanced certification. I am as proud of earning my CCHP-A as of anything I have accomplished in my career, including my MBA.
If you are a current CCHP and you’re wondering about the next step to advance your career and demonstrate your commitment to correctional health care, I highly recommend pursuing advanced certification when you are eligible to do so (after being certified as a CCHP for three years).
I feel honored to have joined the group of professionals who possess advanced certification with NCCHC, and I invite you to join us too.
Richard Forbus, MBA-HCM, CCHP-A, is NCCHC’s vice president of program development.
