Credentialing and Privileging Process

And why you need to know about the C&P process when you come home

What is C&P?

Credentialing is the process of evaluating your experience and credentials (training, certificates, examinations, clinical competence) for the purposes of entry into a particular status or privilege.

Privileges is the right of a credentialed healthcare professional to provide specific care that is consistent with his or her training, experience and competency.

Basically this process allows you to perform clinical activities that you are trained and competent to perform based on your prior experience, training and certification.

When does C&P happen and who is in charge of this process?

Each hospital will have their own C&P process. Often it will be chaired by the medical director of the specialty you hold and attended by all the consultants in that department. It happens before your formal offer of employment and simultaneously with your negotiations with the hospital.

As the committee for C&P meets infrequently throughout the year, it may take some time for you to go through the process.

What is the difference between C&P and NSR?

Surely the National specialist register determines that I have the appropriate qualifications for a specialist in my field.

Although this is true, the C&P process ensures that you continue to have the right credentials to perform the clinical activities that you claim you can perform.

As such hospitals will often conduct the C&P process every 2 years for all it’s clinicians to ensure that clinicians can still practice what they have been practicing as well as privileging clinicians who have had additional training to conduct new and more specialist procedures.

Why is C&P important?

C&P is important not only because patients deserve to be treated by a clinician with appropriate competence but also for insurance and litigation purposes. If you perform a procedure that you are not privileged in performing, you open yourself up to litigation and insurance providers can choose not to reimburse you for that particular procedure. As such, it is important to only perform clinical activities you are privileged to do.

Tips for a smooth C&P process

Keep a logbook

Even after CCT-ing, keep a log book of all the procedures you have done

Collect and catalog your certificates

Make sure you dont lose your certificates as this is the only way to prove competence

Wide Experience

Try get as wide an experience as possible before moving to private practice. This will allow you to get privileged in a wide variety of clinical activities