Continuing professional education program policy
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.
Policy statement
The Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA) and the Canadian College of Health Information Management (College) require all certified CHIMA members to complete continuing professional education (CPE) activities as an integral part of maintaining their certification.
Continuing professional education (CPE) program
The continuing professional education (CPE) program is in place to ensure health information professionals enhance their skills and expand their knowledge throughout their careers.
The requirement to obtain CPE credits in a CPE cycle begins upon certification. If active CHIMA members who are certified by the College are non-compliant with the CPE policy, the College reserves the right to withdraw the use of professional designation(s) and decertify the member.
Annual CPE audit
The College performs CPE audits annually and randomly to ensure active CHIMA members who are certified by the College meet the requirements set forth in the CPE program policy. After a CPE cycle is complete, members are expected to retain the proof of participation for each activity for an additional three years.
CPE credits assigned per clock hour
One CPE credit will be assigned to every clock hour (60 minutes) of instruction and rounded-up to the closest 30 minutes increment (0.5 credit) (e.g., a 20-minute session will be worth 0.5 credits; a 74-minute session will be rounded up to 1.5 credits).
Note: Examples of the types of activities acceptable are provided below each category for guidance.
CPE credits as assigned
The College will review and assign CPE credits to various offerings and credits are generally found within the description. These include:
- Events and professional development opportunities through CHIMA
- Offerings from various organizations assigned on a case-by-case basis
Category 1
Participation in educational activities relevant to the health information profession
- Educational portions of health information related conferences, workshops, seminars, webinars, meetings, teleconferences, online learning – 1 CPE credit per clock hour or as assigned
- Online certificate courses, e.g. computer courses such as Excel, Crystal training, Access, management courses, etc. – 1 CPE credit per clock hour or as assigned
- Attendance at hospital/grand rounds, other lectures related to the HIM domains of practice – 1 CPE credit per session to a maximum of 5 per year
- Self-study of journals and books related to health information (e.g., Canadian HIM Lifecycle, AHIMA journal) – 1 CPE credit per book or full journal read
- Professional practice brief (PPB) review and completion of quiz – As assigned per PPB
- Other educational sessions provided by the College, CHIMA, or AHIMA – As assigned
Is category 1 where I would track CIHI courses?
Yes.
How many credits are CIHI courses worth?
CIHI courses are now tracked on a clock hour basis. CIHI prints the number of clock hours eligible on the certificate of completion.
What does an online certificate course mean?
An online certificate course focuses on a dedicated topic, whereby a certificate of completion may be awarded at the end. Hours for these courses may vary. These courses are not led by a post-secondary institutions (see category 2).
Do courses for non-academic credit, at private institutions fall under category 1?
Yes. Here are a few examples: corporate partners, not-for-profits, non-accredited private institutions, etc.
Do courses at academic institutions (e.g., public universities or colleges) get recorded in this category?
No. Please see category 2.
Category 2
Participation in formal health information related education programs of study
- Post-secondary program attended for credit relevant to the health information profession -15 CPE credits per course of that program successfully completed (e.g., A person completes the Health Terminology Standards program at the University of Victoria. It’s a 1 year program with 4 courses, totalling 60 CPE credits).
- Auditing of post-secondary program’s courses relevant to the health information profession – 5 CPE credits per course successfully completed
What does auditing of a post-secondary course mean?
Auditing a course is when you sit in on lectures, recognizing that any work you complete will not be graded and there is no academic credit awarded. It is required to obtain proof from an institution that you audited a course.
Category 3
Activities related to the College’s accredited programs
- Member of a program advisory committee (PAC) for a health information related program – 1 CPE credit per meeting
- Preceptorship for students in health information related programs (e.g., health information management, terminology standards, etc.) – 1 CPE credit per student; maximum of 5 CPE credits per year
Category 4
Publication/presentation of material relevant to the health information profession
A publication is the development of original work, relevant to the health information profession, which has been reproduced by written or electronic means for general dissemination to the public (unless required as part of work responsibilities – see description of non-qualifying continuous education activities below).
- Author of a book – 30 CPE credits
- Editor of a book or academic journal – 30 CPE credits
- Author of an article in a refereed research journal – 15 CPE credits
- Author of a chapter in a book or PPB – 10 CPE credits
- Reviewer of a chapter in a book, PPB, journal, newsletter, or book manuscript – 3 CPE credits
- Author of an educational article (including textbook or journal article reviews) in a professional or trade journal – 2 CPE credits
A presentation is the development and presentation of original work delivered to an audience.
- Speaker, panel participant, or poster presenter at an education event (e.g., conference) – 5 CPE credits per presentation
- Participation in person for a health information awareness week (e.g., preparing a booth, poster, table, and/or manning it for a minimum of 30 minutes) – 1 CPE credit per day. Health information awareness weeks include HIP Week, Privacy Awareness Week, Clinical Documentation Improvement Week).
Category 5
Association or related committees relevant to the health information profession
- Chair or vice-chair – 8 CPE credits per group per year
- Member of board of directors – 5 CPE credits – per group per year
- Member of an advisory board/group/councils – 5 CPE credits – per group per year
- Member of committee/task team/working group/project team – 2 CPE credits per group per year
Can I claim credits for being a chair and a member of a group?
No. The credit value is higher for the chair or vice-chair roles for this purpose.
Category 6
Other educational activities
(Maximum 20% content – maximum 7 credits – in 3 year cycle)
This can include participation in educational activities on topics not related to the HIM domains of practice but are relevant to the professional position of the member.
I’ve completed more than 7 credits worth of other educational activities. Can I claim them in my current CPE cycle?
No, 7 credits is the maximum amount (e.g. you complete multiple courses outside of health information totalling 10 credits and can only claim 7).
Non-qualifying CPE activities
Examples of CPE activities that do not qualify for CPE credits are as follows. The list is illustrative and not intended
to be all-inclusive.
- Responsibilities that fall within the normal parameters of an individual’s job description, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) staff meetings; (2) preparation for and/or participation in accreditation; (3) preparation of procedure, policy, or administrative manuals; (4) conducting tours; (5) development of employee and staff training materials
- Published materials and/or presentations developed as a direct part of an individual’s employment
- Instructing or teaching a class, course, program, etc. (as a paid position)
Can I claim CPE credits for training new staff within my organization?
No.
Can I claim CPE credits for system orientation/training on how to use a computer system at my workplace as a part of my job?
No.