Call for Nomination Guide – 2009

GUIDE FOR NOMINEES

FOR ELECTION TO

COUNCIL ON CERTIFICATION

The positions to be filled are:

• HIT Educator
• RHIA Professional

The Council on Certification members will assume office on January 1, 2010.  All Council members must be Active members of AHIMA.

Duties and Qualifications for Council Members:

The Council on Certification

The Council on Certification has two primary goals: to create and maintain initial certification and recertification for all AHIMA granted credentials. The Council oversees the design of certification examinations, including the quality of the test item bank.  It establishes and oversees policies relating to initial certification and re-certification and ensures that all are uniformly and fairly administered.  It also hears and acts upon appeals relating to credentialing practices from individuals. 

Qualifications

To qualify for candidacy for the Council on Certification, individuals must be Active members of AHIMA as stated in the AHIMA bylaws and meet the criteria set by the Council on Certification and shown. 

Each year the Nominating Committee will seek two candidates for each open position for a runoff ballot.

Term and Time Commitment

The members are elected for three-year terms.  The Council meets two to three times each year for two days and participates in conference calls as needed throughout the year. Responsibilities include attendance at meetings and conference calls and completion of assigned projects.

Council on Certification – Application to Serve

Descriptions of open positions:

AHIMA Council on Certification (COC)

Qualifications Required for Elected Members

as stated in the Council on Certification Policy and Procedure Manual

Council on Certification – Application to Serve

Position Description for AHIMA Council on Certification

The authority of the Council on Certification (COC) member derives from serving as a voting member of the Council on Certification.  The term for an elected COC member is three years.  Individual members have no special privileges, prerogatives, or authority apart from the whole.  At the same time, being a member of the AHIMA Council on Certification is a special trust and individual members are expected to meet high standards of personal conduct on behalf of AHIMA.  This position description outlines these special obligations of COC service. 

General Expectations

• Understand and articulate AHIMA’s mission, vision, values, strategies, policies, programs, services and strengths.
• Perform duties of COC membership responsibly and uphold the values of the Association.
• Suggest possible nominees for the board, councils, committees, and task forces and submit names of individuals who should be recognized through awards and other forms of recognition.
• Support an atmosphere in which every member of the Council can actively and fully participate.
• Mentor future leaders of the Association.
• Serve in leadership positions and undertake special assignments willingly and enthusiastically.

Council on Certification - Application to Serve

• Represent the Association when called upon to do so.
• Refer matters of potential significance to the chair and staff liaisons.
• Express opinions for the good of the Association, rather than to advance one’s personal agenda.
• Communicate between regularly scheduled meetings, by
• Participating in conference calls collectively or as part of a team
• Monitoring the Council’s Community of Practice on a regular basis
• Answering correspondence promptly

Meetings:

• Prepare for and participate in Council meetings (2 face-to-face meetings in Chicago and 3-5 Conference Calls).
• Prepare for and participate in committee and other meetings of task forces/subcommittee meetings of the Council as required. 
• Ask timely and substantive questions at meetings consistent with your conscience and convictions, while supporting the majority decision on issues decided by the Council.
• Maintain confidentiality of the Council’s executive sessions and speak for the Council or AHIMA only when authorized to do so.

Construction Committees:

Each COC member will serve as needed on at least one test certification committee.

These committees will typically consist of one face-to-face meeting in Chicago and several conference calls to discuss, maintain and deliberate on test items.  As technology allows, face-to-face meetings may be replaced by Web/phone conference calls lasting from 2-4 hours in length.

Relationship with Staff:

• Avoid asking for special favors of the staff, including special request for extensive information, without at least prior consultation with the chief executive officer or president.
• Use the director of certification as the primary staff contact.

Avoiding Conflicts:

• Serve AHIMA as a whole rather than any special interest group or constituency.
• Avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest that might embarrass the board or AHIMA and disclose any possible conflicts to the board in a timely fashion.
• Maintain independence and objectivity and do what a sense of fairness, ethics, and personal integrity dictate.
• Understand and fully comply with adhere to the terms and spirit of AHIMA’s conflicts and dualities and confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements.

Timeline for the 2009 Nomination and Election Process:

• January 30                   Deadline for Call for Nomination form by close of business
• February/March             Nominating Committee to review nominations
• March/April                  Nominating Committee to conduct telephone interviews with nominees and confirm candidates
• March                           Candidates provide profile and other information for the AHIMA ballot to appear in the June Journal
• June 1- June 12                  Candidate Community of Practice is open to the members for online discussion with candidates (two weeks) – subject to change
• June 15- June 30                Polls Open for voting – subject to change
• By Mid- July                         Announcement of the 2009 AHIMA Election Results

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