Hope this note finds you savoring some of summer’s best delights. Even in the hectic world of health care human resources (HR), we need to make sure we’re finding ways to take time out from work and recharge our respective batteries. Summertime is often travel time—time when you figure out the destination and prepare yourself for the journey. 

There certainly are corollaries to the work we do in our personal and professional time. As you think about the destination for your professional life, you also work to prepare yourself for the journey. Most of us have engaged in formal education, attaining a degree that gave us both knowledge and credentials to bring into a work life. Many of us have accepted "stretch" assignments to further that knowledge and give us a broader understanding. Some of us have also prepared for and taken certification examinations to document and affirm our expertise. 

To those of us who have put blood, sweat and a few tears into the SPHR certification, the recent communication from SHRM and HRCI has been concerning at best. I want to have a certification that is meaningful to me, my employer and my peers. The confusion over what that certification might mean in the future now feels uncertain. 

If, like me, you are interested in continuing to develop and grow within health care HR, I would encourage you to look into preparing for the CHHR certification. While a newer certification, the CHHR is gaining in awareness and respect for the unique professional it serves. I’ve always said that HR work in health care is a unique role. Attaining your CHHR is one more way to affirm that special set of knowledge and skills that set this role and this industry apart. Please check out the ASHHRA website for more information about how you can prepare for and take the CHHR exam.

Enjoy this summer. I’ll hope to see you in September!

All my best,