Continuing professional education program
A commitment of lifelong learning
The continuing professional education (CPE) program is in place to ensure health information professionals enhance their skills and expand their knowledge for the duration of their career.
Professional development offerings are made available through the Canadian Health Information Management Association. CHIMA’s philosophy on professional development, as stated in tenet six of the code of ethics, is for members “to strive to improve one’s professional knowledge and competence through continuing education and lifelong learning.”
CPE program governance
The CPE program policy guides professional members in determining the number of CPE credits a CPE activity is worth. The CPE program policy was revised on March 1, 2019. The CPE categories have been simplified into six (6) broad categories. If professional members are non-compliant with the CPE policy, the College reserves the right to withdraw the use of professional designation(s) and decertify the member.
CHIMA’s professional members have three requirements in order to uphold their certification and use a professional designation. They are as follows:
- Adhere to the code of ethics;
- Maintain continuous learning through the CPE program; and
- Invest in the profession through annual membership.
Depending on the certification(s) members have, there is a required number of CPE credits to achieve over a three-year period (CPE cycle). During this time, the following must be adhered to:
- Documentation of CPE activities
- Entry of proof of all activities for auditing purposes*
The College performs CPE audits annually and at random to ensure professional members meet the requirements set forth in the CPE program policy. After a CPE cycle is complete, members are expected to retain proof of participation for each activity for three years.
NOTE: If a CHIMA offering has been automatically recorded under category 1 in a person’s CPE record, these will be amended as required when the College performs auditing.
Terms of reference
| Term | Defintion |
|---|---|
| CPE | The acronym for continuing professional education |
| CPE activity | A professional development offering. (.e.g., conference, event, program) |
| CPE credit | A unit displayed to acknowledge the value of a CPE activity once it’s been completed |
| CPE cycle | A three-year period whereby professional members must accrue CPE credits to maintain their certification(s) |
| Cycle start date | The College begins CPE cycles March 1st of each year |
| Cycle end date | A member’s cycle will end on February 28/29th three years after their start date commences |
| Accumulation period | This is a complimentary time allotment to bridge a member’s certification date to the member’s first cycle start date. Example: John Smith receives notice on July 18, 2019, that he is now a Certified Health Information Management (CHIM) professional. Effective July 18, 2019, John can start accumulating CPE credits for submission when his first cycle begins on March 1, 2020. |
| CPE audit | A review of professional members’ CPE activity submissions. |
CPE credit requirements
Please reference the table below to determine how many CPE credits are required to uphold certification(s).
CPE credit requirements
Please reference the table below to determine how many CPE credits are required to uphold certification(s).
| Professional designation | CPE credits required per CPE cycle |
|---|---|
| CCDIS | 12 |
| CCDIS + CTSS | 24 |
| CHIM | 36 |
| CHIM + CCCS | 48 |
| CHIM + CCCS + CTSS | 60 |
| CHIM + CCCS + CTSS + CCDIS | 72 |
| CHIM + CCDIS | 48 |
| CHIM + CCDIS + CCCS | 60 |
| CHIM + CTSS | 48 |
| CHIM + CTSS + CCDIS | 60 |
| CTSS | 12 |
| HICA | 36 |
Frequently asked questions
Why have the policy categories for the CPE program changed?
With the assistance of a national volunteer group, the College examined best practices on tracking continuing education from other organizations. These categories are now more comprehensive and accept a broader range of CPE activities. To be more inclusive, the policy no longer names specific vendors.
Where can I view CPE activities that I previously submitted?
- Click on ‘Association sign in’ in the top right corner
- Click on your name and select ‘My dashboard’
- Scroll down and click ‘Manage’ in the ‘Canadian College of Health Information Management‘ section.
- Click on ‘View’ in ‘My CPE record.’
- Scroll to the bottom of the page to view your entries
I want to submit new CPE activities. Where can I do this?
Please follow these steps:
- Click on ‘CHIMA sign in’ in the top right corner of the webpage to sign in
- You will be automatically redirected to your dashboard
- Scroll down and click ‘Manage’ in the ‘Canadian College of Health Information Management‘ section.
- Click on ‘View’ in My CPE record.
Can I enter activities that happened in the past?
Yes, with the following requirements:
- They happened in your current cycle
- You haven’t submitted them before (e.g., in the manual Excel tracking tool)
Can I edit or delete my manual submissions?
Yes, edit your submissions by following these instructions:
- On your ‘My CPE record’ page, scroll to the bottom of the page to ‘My CPE cycle history’
- To the right of your entries, select the pencil icon
- Make the desired edits and select submit
- Alternatively, select the X icon to the right of your entries to delete the submission
When are CPE activities automatically tracked?
When you are taking a CHIMA-hosted professional development (e.g., course, series, PPB quiz, or education session) you will notice a purple bar displaying how many credits that activity is worth. Upon completion, you can check your CPE record to confirm this has gone through. Please note that CHIMA-hosted education sessions that take place externally (i.e., on Zoom, GoToWebinar, Microsoft Teams, etc.) may not be tracked automatically.
How do I determine the number of credits an activity is worth?
Please refer to the CPE program policy.
How do I determine the appropriate category for my activity?
Please refer to the CPE program policy.
Do I need to submit proof of my activities?
A file upload is not mandatory. If audited by the College, proof of completion is required. All professional members must have proof of their activities for both their current cycle and previous cycle.
My CPE cycle history indicates that my submissions have all been approved. Is this the case?
All submissions are approved pending audit from the Canadian College of Health Information Management.
Do I need to download an excel tracking tool and submit it?
No. This was a temporary solution until CHIMA’s new online platform had launched. Please submit activities by following these steps:
- Click on ‘CHIMA sign in’ in the top right corner
- Click on your name and select ‘My dashboard’
- Scroll down and click ‘Manage’ in the ‘Canadian College of Health Information Management‘ section.
- Click on ‘View’ in ‘My CPE record.’
- Submit activities