Why did you become involved in the credentialing industry?

I became involved in credentialing by jumping at a new opportunity at my current organization that interested me. A transition resulted in an opportunity managing the certification program for one of my clients, and I volunteered. I was fascinated by the combination of science, expertise, and research that went into supporting a certification program and I have been working with similar programs ever since.

How did you get started in the field?

I started in association management right out of college. It was a field that I knew very little about but was eager to learn more. Through hard work, lots of dedication, and relationship-building, I have carved out a career trajectory focused on operations, governance, and development for certification programs.

What advice do you have for those just starting out in their credentialing career?

Absorb as much as you can. Read all the literature, study the various accreditation standards, and get to know your volunteers and what motivates them. To me, volunteers are at the core of any program. Understanding how a certification serves their needs is essential in building a strong product.

Tell us about the value you receive from ICE.

Resources, connection, and validation. On more than one occasion, I have put out a question or request to the ICE network and received numerous facts, ideas, and advice. This is invaluable to me.

What lessons/positive experiences have you taken away from being a member of ICE?

My membership with ICE has given me knowledge on the common and effective best practices for the credentialing industry. I rave about it to my colleagues and volunteers.

What’s been a memorable moment for you from the ICE conference?

I attended the ICE conference in 2012. At this time, continuing competence was just starting to gain momentum in the credentialing landscape. It was at this conference that the volunteer leadership and I made the decision to begin the transition from the standard recertification process to continued competency. It was a big leap for a tradition program like this one and I was thrilled to be a part of the process.

Share Your Story

ICE’s community is full of inspired members whose ICE experience has made a real difference in their personal and professional lives. And we want to hear all about it—from you. Share your ICE story with us at info@credentialingexcellence.org.

Return to ICE Membership page.

Why did you become involved in the credentialing industry and how did you get started in the field?

I was first introduced to the credentialing industry when I sat for the Certified Surgical Assisting exam in 1988. This exam was administered by the National Surgical Assisting Association (NSAA), prior to its current credentialing body, the National Commission for the Certification of Surgical Assistants. My understanding of the importance of credentialing developed further as my participation as an NSAA Board Member at Large and eventually as a two term President.

What advice do you have for those just starting out in their credentialing career?

As for advice for others interested in credentialing as a career, I would suggest finding someone in the field to act as your mentor. Shadow a seasoned professional to learn the tricks of the trade. You can’t learn everything from the manuals. Having the ICE will certainly provide the groundwork, but hands-on experience is a great advantage.

Tell me about the value you receive from ICE.

Volunteering has a positive effect on your community, and my community is the surgical assisting profession—and it’s good for you too. It is a “a win-win situation.” You feel good because you're helping others, and the others feel good because they're getting help. Being a member with ICE has helped me learn more about myself and even enhanced my pathway to a more solid career future.

What lessons/positive experiences have you taken away from being a member of ICE?

I believe being a member of ICE has given me a real edge in knowing more about the intricacies of credentialing and connecting with others in the profession. The resources available as a member have shed a positive light onto important issues affecting my profession. Moreover, being a member has given me a chance to discover all the possible benefits credentialing brings in validating professions. I'm happy ICE provides members with an opportunity to join committees and I encourage other members to do the same.

Share Your Story

ICE’s community is full of inspired members whose ICE experience has made a real difference in their personal and professional lives. And we want to hear all about it—from you. Share your ICE story with us at info@credentialingexcellence.org.

Return to ICE Membership page.

Why did you become involved in the credentialing industry?

I became involved to formalize processes designed to provide a unified path to advance our national program effort through a national focus on training and personnel excellence for key staff (both paid and volunteer). In addition: For the identification and validation of voluntary, consensus-based competency standards for personnel to use as the foundation for implementation of our Professional Credential, a national program of professional development and program excellence. These consensus-based standards will be developed through the use of various domains and subdomains that encompass the content areas utilized by staff and volunteers while overseeing and managing their respective programs.

How did you get started in the field?

Recent surveys of our programs in each of the U.S. states and territories show a diversity of ways to reach the public and a wide range of experience and expertise among the education and outreach personnel. Key individuals in each state and territory, in addition to the program administrators, are employed to guide the process. Data proves that many of these individuals are hired with limited program knowledge. Many are relatively new to these positions, possessing three to five years, or less, experience. Below the administrator level, program staff working in states with budget constraints and travel restrictions may have limited opportunity to expertise in a time-effective manner due to the lack of local training and/or the inability to travel out of state. Our Credentialing and Certification Program not only bridges this training gap, but it also expands the scope and dimension of critical program, cultural, economic, technical and ethical elements overtly needed to sustain and grow the national program.

What advice do you have for those just starting out in their credentialing career?

Sign up, join in and get involved with ICE and FULLY take advantage of ALL of the resources made available to us.

Tell me about the value you receive from ICE.

I have nothing but praise for ICE. During the past year they have helped me help our association establish a firm foundation for the development of a national credentialing program; I continue to be amazed with the staff and volunteer mentors professionalism, sincerity and systematic approach to problem solving. I continuously sing the praises of ICE to our Association Executive Board, as well as every opportunity I am presented with.

What lessons/positive experiences have you taken away from being a member of ICE?

Since our organization just implemented developing a Credentialing Program this year, we really needed serious direction and advice. Everyone I’ve contacted at ICE has been incredibly helpful and accommodating. Not only have they provided “on point” suggestions to our internal workflows, they’ve also been very responsive to my every inquiry. ICE has made our credentialing program development a much more efficient process during our neophyte stages of development.

Share Your Story

ICE’s community is full of inspired members whose ICE experience has made a real difference in their personal and professional lives. And we want to hear all about it—from you. Share your ICE story with us at info@credentialingexcellence.org.

Return to ICE Membership page.