Perspectives of professional certification in health in Peru

Perspectivas de la certificación profesional en salud en el Perú

Periodic certification is the public and temporary recognition of professionals who demonstrate competent performance. It is a third-party certification, different from certification granted by the training institutions and also of membership that is a mandatory requirement in Peru to practice health professions. Medical College was a pioneer of certification through the Medical Certification and Recertification System, based on continuing medical education. Since 2006, when the Educational Quality Assessment, Accreditation and Certification System was created, and its regulations in 2008, it is established that certification is competency-based, temporary and compulsory for health, education and law professions, and only It can be done by the corresponding Professional Association. After 7 years of implementation, it is pertinent to ask: where is the professional certification in health? The strategy implemented was induction of demand through professional associations, with a rigid  certification scheme. Between 2011 and 2017, 6354 health professionals were certified, with a predominance of nursing with 58.14%. It should be noted that Medical College implements two certification schemes, one based on continuing medical education (18333 doctors have been certified) and another based on competencies authorized by Sineace, with very little coverage. Results suggest that the strategy implemented has been insufficient and new paths are proposed that include: voluntary certification as a "seal of quality", diversification of the offer, specialization and methodological plurality, flexibility in certification schemes.