Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP)

Career growth and continuous learning are crucial for staying up-to-date in the rapidly evolving healthcare industry. One way to stand out and elevate your career is as a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) (awarded by the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics). It’s a journey that requires dedication and commitment to fulfilling necessary work experience, education, and examination requirements.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to help you navigate the path to CCEP certification and empower you to enhance your professional standing as you contribute to the growth and success of your organization.

Benefits Outweigh CCEP Certification Cost

CCEP certification demonstrates your dedication to ethical practices and compliance within the healthcare industry. Through the certification process, you acquire the latest knowledge and best practices in compliance and ethics, ensuring value for your organization and yourself.

As a certified professional, you may find yourself with expanded career opportunities, including promotions and higher salary potential. Good employers value, recognize, and reward professionals with specialized knowledge in compliance and ethics — particularly in a heavily regulated industry such as healthcare.

All of these reasons make earning the certified compliance & ethics professional certification worth the cost. As of the writing of this article, a CCEP certification costs $350 for SCCE or HCCA members and $450 for non-members. You may want to also factor in the time you’ll spend studying and learning in the CCEP certification cost, but that time will benefit you for your entire career as a compliance professional. Not to mention the ability to connect with other certified professionals that can lead to new opportunities and partnerships, and contribute to your career growth.

Strengthening Your Organization With CCEPs

There are many advantages to employing CCEPs, so your organization may even be willing to pay for you to earn the certified compliance & ethics professional certification. Your organization benefits from your expertise in identifying potential areas of concern and developing effective strategies to address them. Moreover, the CCEP designation signals an organization’s commitment to ethical practices and compliance, which can boost trust from patients, partners, and regulators, ultimately resulting in improved overall performance.

CCEPs also play a crucial role in fostering a culture of compliance and ethics within the organization, positively influencing employee behavior. This leads to better decision-making and a more robust work environment for everyone involved.

Navigating the Path to CCEP Certification

When you become a CCEP, you’re making an investment in your career and the organization you serve. To help you navigate the certification process, we’ve outlined the essential steps to achieve this prestigious designation.

By following these guidelines, you’ll enhance your professional skills and foster a culture of ethical practices and compliance within your organization.

1. Satisfy Work Prerequisites

To apply for a Compliance Certification Board (CCB) examination, you must fulfill necessary work experience requirements as a Compliance Professional. This entails having at least one year in a full-time compliance position or 1,500 hours of direct compliance job duties earned in the two years preceding your application date. Your job duties must directly relate to the tasks outlined in the “Detailed Content Outline” of the CCB Candidate Handbook.

If you’re a student, your path begins a little differently. You’ll be required to have completed a certificate program from a CCB-accredited university within the last two years to be exempt from the work experience requirement. You can apply for a CCB certification examination and take the exam within 12 months of completing the CCB-accredited university program.

2. Fulfill CEU Requirements

To apply for a CCB examination, you must earn and submit 20 CCB-approved continuing education units (CEUs). At least 10 CEUs should come from “live” trainings or events, such as face-to-face training sessions or real-time web conferences. You must also earn your CEUs within the 12 months preceding the examination date.

The CCB accepts relevant CEUs from any organization or event sponsor, and you’re not required to attend Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) or Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) events exclusively to earn your CEUs. However, CCB does not award CEUs for networking, social activities, breaks, meals, or non-instructional activities like question-and-answer sessions. Direct job-related duties or functions are also not eligible for CEU submission.

Here are some ways to earn CEUs:

Attend SCCE and HCCA events or those hosted by other organizations
Enroll in accredited university courses related to compliance
View live or recorded webinars by SCCE, HCCA, or another organization
Complete manual quizzes or book quizzes
Present at an SCCE or HCCA event, or one hosted by another organization
Publish an article, blog post, or guest comment on SCCE or HCCA’s social networks
Review reports on Medicare Compliance, Research Compliance, and Patient Privacy

* Remember that this list is a guideline and may change over time. Once a CCB certification specialist reviews your submissions, CEU values or types may be adjusted.

3. Verify Requirements and Submit Your Application

After ensuring you meet all candidacy requirements, complete and submit the exam application and the appropriate testing fee. Make sure your application is complete and legible before submission. Additionally, include documentation of your 20 CCB CEUs if they still need to be added to CCB, and remember to submit the fee.

4. Schedule and Take Your Exam

After accepting your application, CCB will send you an examination eligibility confirmation, including your eligibility end date. You’ll receive a confirmation email with the examination date, start time, and reporting instructions. The scheduling process considers religious or government-recognized holidays specific to your country or location.

Two formats are available for the exam:

Computer-Based Test (CBT) through PSI: You can complete the application online or use the paper form provided in the Candidate Handbook.
Paper and Pencil Examination at an SCCE or HCCA event: Complete the online exam application or fill out the application specific to the event you attend.

On examination day, prepare to complete the 120-question test. For the CCEP examination, you’ll have two hours; the CCEP-I examination allows two and a half hours. Out of the 120 questions, 100 are scored. The examination is administered in English only.

5. You Passed! Now What?

After completing the exam, review your “Score Report” to determine whether you passed. Depending on the exam format and location, the delivery of your Score Report may vary.

If you pass the exam, congratulations! Your certification is valid for two years, and you can now use the CCEP designation in your professional communication materials. CCB will mail you an official certificate and other documents within four weeks of your exam.

Continue To Shine in Your Compliance Role

Hopefully you’ve passed the exam, but if not you can try a total of two times within 180 days. The next step is taking what you’ve learned and putting it into practice. For many compliance professionals, this means looking for ways to mitigate risks and increase compliance efficiency.

Choosing compliance software that brings multiple tools into one place makes it easy for employees to complete education, reference policies, and file incident reports. Plus, the tracking and reporting available is critical for compliance professionals to be survey ready, and also identify potential risks and trends.

Find out how MedTrainer’s all-in-one compliance platform can supplement your CCEP certification.

Elevate Your Career With a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) Certification