IBFCSM's certification for professionals responsible for healthcare emergency management, disaster preparedness, and emergency/safety compliance within hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Who it's for
Healthcare emergency managers, hospital safety officers, emergency preparedness coordinators, and administrators responsible for a healthcare facility's disaster readiness and regulatory compliance — this is a management-and-compliance credential rather than a clinical one, aimed at the people who plan for and coordinate a hospital's response to disasters and emergencies rather than the clinicians who deliver care during one.
What's covered
- Healthcare Emergency Management Concepts (39%) — core emergency management principles applied to preventing harm and maintaining a safe healthcare environment for staff, patients, and visitors
- Healthcare Disaster Preparedness and Response (35%) — hazard vulnerability analysis, emergency operations planning, medical surge coordination, all-hazards planning, and pandemic preparedness
- Emergency and Safety Compliance Standards (26%) — regulatory frameworks including Joint Commission requirements, CMS Emergency Preparedness rules, OSHA standards, and NFPA codes
What to expect
CHEP exams contain 125 to 160 multiple-choice items depending on the specific exam form administered, with individual items weighted at either 1 or 1.5 points; IBFCSM determines the passing score using total points earned and reports results as a Standard Scaled Score rather than a simple percentage. Expect questions built around recall, recognition, comprehension, and application of healthcare emergency management concepts, and content that draws on ASPR/FEMA responsibilities, NIMS, ICS, and healthcare coalition frameworks alongside the regulatory standards above.
How to prepare
IBFCSM offers a CHEP self-study program and one complimentary Certification Practice Test (at least 100 multiple-choice items) directly through its own site; because the exam draws heavily on named regulatory frameworks (Joint Commission, CMS, OSHA, NFPA) and named federal emergency management structures (NIMS, ICS, ASPR), candidates without a compliance background typically need dedicated review time on the specific requirements of each framework rather than general emergency-management familiarity alone.
