Healthcare Certifications

Why Certification?

Proven Excellence.

ACA’s certification program pairs world-class scholarship with engaging texts

Certification curriculum emphasizes the importance of critical thinking when approaching current correctional health care issues

Once certified, our health care professionals possess both knowledge and skill necessary to provide the very best health care to offender

Where do I start?

Test Preparation: Your success is our priority.

ACA webinars help guide you through the certification process - from application and administration to recertification. We walk you through it step by step.

Need help with study skills? We’ve got you covered!

Attend the Study Skills workshop at an ACA winter conference or summer congress.

Consult ACA’s courtesy Study Guide for study tips and skills specifically related to our Certification examinations

Three Opportunities to Become Certified

Test Administration: Choice and Convenience

ACA’s on-site test administration

We come to you! ACA will take care of everything: setup, administration and cleanup

ACA conference and congress administrations

At every conference, we’ll be there administering a certification examination

Self-proctored test administration

Your training director or local certified professional can proctor the exam.

You set up a location, time, and date. ACA will send the testing materials to your proctor.

Supporting Your Professional Growth

Recertification: Always learning. Always Prepared.

Certified health care professional must apply for recertification every three years

Certified corrections nurses are required to obtain 60 recertification credits to be eligible for recertification

Certified corrections nurse managers are required to obtain 80 recertification credits to be eligible for recertification

There are many ways to earn recertification credits:

Participate in training educational courses;

Attend workshops at ACA conferences;

Be a part of a corrections or health care related committee or task force

Publish a corrections

or health care-related article; and

Individualization: Other activities may earn recertification credits.

For more information on health certifications, contact the Office of Correctional Health at Healthcare@aca.org or 703.224.0048.