Mickie Rops Consulting

There's a lot of talk at the NOCA Credentialing Leadership Forum about identifying and communicating the value of certification to regulators and other stakeholders.  But let's be honest, there is little to no value to some certification programs.  I'm not being disrespectful to the many quality and meaningful programs out there!  But, the reality is that some certification programs were developed without a thorough examination of the environment and stakeholders needs, and the role certification has (or doesn't have).  As a result, some are only marginally addressing any real issue or have value to only a very small segment.  The brutal reality is that while all organizations can develop certification, not all should. 

So, while I agree that we should work to identify and communicate the value of certification, I feel we should devote an equal amount of time in educating organizations about when certfication is or isn't appropriate or valuable.