News

Introduction

In 2019, the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) administered a multi-organizational survey to measure the value that credential holders place on certification. This survey collected data from a large sampling (>12,000 individuals) of credential holders representing six organizations (4 of which were healthcare organizations¹).  In May of 2019, ASCP BOC sent the survey to 47,384 individuals certified within the last 5 years.  Of those who received the survey; 2,038 completed the 80 required questions.  The uncharacteristically low response rate is likely attributed to the survey’s extensive length.

This report provides a comparison and overview of the top five differences between the full survey data (n=9,407) and the data from respondents credentialed by ASCP BOC (n = 2,038 or 22% of full survey respondents²).

For the purpose of this report, responses of themed queries were viewed side by side and averages, standard deviations and medians were calculated.  The top 5 items indicating the highest difference from the full survey data results are highlighted in the report that follows along with a concise summary of findings by themed content area.

Summary

This survey sought to define certificants’ attitudes toward and experiences with certification. Survey questions were grouped by four primary subject areas:

• The Value of Certification for Respondents’ Professions
• The Value of Certification for Employers
• The Value of Certification Outside the U.S. and Canada
• The Value of Certification for Certificants

Based on a side-by-side comparison of full survey data and BOC survey data, only minor differences were noted with the exception of the question pertaining to the perceived value of recertification.  The question with the greatest difference in responses was in the ‘The Value of Certification for Respondents’ Professions’ category regarding recertification:

Q: I believe it is important that certificants in my profession maintain certification by recertifying.

Full survey 60.8% agree/strongly agreed; BOC survey 80.1% agree/strongly agree.  19.3% difference.

The Value of Certification for Respondents’ Professions

Overall, in both reports, results indicate that respondents consider certification to be very valuable to their profession, certification requirements are appropriate, ethics and code of conduct for the certifying body are beneficial to the profession, and certification is important for improving competence and performance in the profession.

The most noteworthy difference came in response to the importance of recertification:

Q: I believe it is important that certificants in my profession maintain certification by recertifying.

Whilst the comprehensive survey noted only 60.8% agreeing or strongly agreeing that it is important for credential holders in their profession to maintain certification by recertifying, the BOC survey response was 80.1% agreeing or strongly agreeing, suggesting that for ASCP BOC respondents, recertification is decidedly aligned to the profession. (19.3% difference). 

The Value of Certification for Employers

This section asked questions on three topics that are related to the value of certification for employers: whether certification increases employee knowledge, certification improves employee performance, and employers cover any of the expenses related to certification. In both surveys, high percentages of respondents agreed with the idea that certification increases certificants’ knowledge and improves employee performance. The most notable difference in this section came in regards to employer’s support for certification.  A larger percentage of respondents on the ASCP BOC survey do not have the fee/costs associated with initial certification or recertification covered by their employer. 

The Value of Certification Outside the U.S. and Canada  

One item asked, “If you work or have worked outside the U.S. and Canada, have you observed different attitudes about your certification?” In line with results of the full survey, out of the 131 respondents on the ASCP BOC survey (6.4% of the total sample) who had worked outside the U.S. and Canada and answered the question, over 60% (50.1% on full survey) said that their certification is viewed as more valuable and important outside the U.S. and Canada. Smaller percentages of respondents chose one of the following:

• certification was given less value or importance
• not considered either more or less valuable
• not known outside the U.S. and Canada

The Value of Certification for Certificants

In both surveys, the majority agreed or strongly agreed that certification enhances confidence and is an achievement of which they can be proud. Certification also makes over 80% of respondents feel more connected to the profession. In contrast, only about half of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that certificants have greater job satisfaction than those who are not certified. Answers to items relating to how certificants feel about themselves and their work reinforce the strong intrinsic feelings of credential holders regarding their certification.

Of the seven questions relating to how others view certificants, the majority of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that certification is evidence of commitment to the profession, enhances their professional credibility, and competence they have obtained.  They believe certification helps them stand out in their profession and differentiates them from their peers. Approximately half of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that those who are certified in their profession get more respect than those who are not.

On both surveys, more than 80% agreed or strongly agreed that a person who is certified finds it easier to get hired, and that a person who is certified has more positions to choose from when searching for a job.  Approximately three-quarters of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that a certificant in their profession can get higher-paying jobs than those who are not certified.  Approximately two-thirds of respondents agreed that credential holders have more job security and are more likely to be retained by their organization during an economic downturn.  Over 60% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that certification is related to the speed of promotion and over 65% agreed or strongly agreed that certification is related to the level to which one can advance.  Over 50% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that attaining certification in their profession is expensive and time consuming.

The most notable differences in this section came in regards to meeting employer and professional requirements and working conditions.  When asked if it is easier to obtain or renew licensure if one is certified, 17.1% of respondents in the comprehensive survey reported that it was not easier to obtain or renew licensure if certified, whereas only 6.3% of ASCP BOC respondents claimed that certification did not make it easier to obtain/renew licensure. (10.8% difference).  It should be noted that the terms ‘certification’ and ‘licensure’ are often misunderstood and mistakenly used interchangeably.  This potential confusion should be taken into account when considering respondent feedback.  Amongst the four items related to working conditions, a difference was noted in task assignment.  When asked if a person in the profession who is certified gets better assignments or tasks, comprehensive survey respondents reported only 30.6% agreeing or strongly agreeing that certified professionals were assigned better tasks vs. 42.6% of ASCP BOC respondents. (12% difference).

The Top Reasons for Becoming Certified - Among the major results, respondents picked three out of 17 possible benefits of obtaining certification that they felt were most important to them. The top ten reasons for obtaining a certification were:

Conclusion

In this Value of Certification study, the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) collected survey data from a large sample of credential holders from six organizations. The objective of this report was to compare results from the comprehensive survey of respondents with results of ASCP BOC respondents.

With the exception of the question regarding the value of recertification, discrepancies noted were minor.  On most questions pertaining to the various benefits of certification, a majority of respondents gave a positive response about certification and its relationship to beneficial outcomes for their professions, employers, or themselves.  The data suggest that certificants place a high value on certification and believe that certification provides a number of valuable benefits.

These results are in line with findings from the ASCP BOC post-exam survey³. This survey is optional for examinees and administered following exam completion and receipt of preliminary Pass/Fail status. The survey contained several questions regarding the impetus for individuals to pursue certification. We asked examinees to respond to the following questions:

• I took this examination for my professional growth.
• I took this examination because my employer requires this certification.

According to ASCP BOC post-exam survey data, the majority of respondents agreed they pursued certification for their professional growth.  Nearly 100% of respondents who took advanced certifications (e.g., Specialist in Microbiology (SM), Specialist in Blood Banking(SBB), Diplomate in Laboratory Management(DLM)) responded that they pursued certification for their professional growth.  Interestingly, very few respondents of advanced certifications sited they pursued certification because it was required by their employer. Whereas the majority of respondents for entry-level certifications (e.g., Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS), Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), Phlebotomist (PBT), Histotechnician (HT)) responded that they pursued certification because it was required by their employer. When asked about anticipated benefits of becoming certified, respondents ranked ‘Increased opportunities for career advancement’ highest.

While biased due to the sample being current credential holders, this reinforces the value of certification for those who pursue the process.  In the end, many of the motivating factors to get certified are intrinsic. Certified individuals report greater confidence, greater pride in their work, and feeling more connected. Many report higher job satisfaction when they are certified in their profession. According to the Harvard Business Review, job satisfaction is one of four primary factors in ‘Why Employees Stay.’ Retention can be improved when employers reinforce the “right” reasons for staying.’⁴

Certification, as a driver of job satisfaction, is aligned with managing retention, not simply understanding turnover.  Additional research is needed to look more closely at the attitudes and opinions of other stakeholders in the certification ecosystem, such as employers and the public. Many possible additional benefits were not part of this research as it focused on the credential holders themselves and their perceived value of certification.

References

1. Institute for Credentialing Excellence (2019) RSRCH19 Value of Certification Report. Accessed May 11, 2021. https://www.credentialingexcellence.org/p/bl/et/blogid=5&blogaid=545
2. Tetsuhiro Yamada, M.A. (2020) Results from the Institute for Credentialing Excellence’s Value of Certification Survey: ASCP Participants. Internal Results
3. ASCP BOC Post-Exam Survey Internal Results
4. Flowers V. and Hughes C. (1973) Harvard Business Review, Why Employee’s Stay. Accessed March 31, 2021. https://hbr.org/1973/07/why-employees-stay