Migraine diseases, headache disorders practitioners should register by Aug. 25
CHICAGO, Ill. – The National Headache Foundation (NHF) announced its Fall certification exam for its Certificate of Added Qualification in Headache Medicine (AQH) program. The deadline for applying to NHF to take the certification exam is August 25, and the Fall exam will be administered online between September 1-15.
Susan Stone, interim NHF executive director, encourages eligible healthcare practitioners to seek the AQH certification. “With 40 million Americans experiencing headache disorders and migraine disease – one in four of us – the NHF AQH certification offers validation of one’s expertise in headache medicine to be recognized by your patients as well as one’s colleagues,”
said Stone.
To be eligible for the AQH competency examination, a candidate must be a licensed healthcare practitioner who evaluates and manages headache patients independently, including physicians (M.D. and D.O.), physicians assistants, advance practice nurses, dentists, and clinical psychologists.
Each candidate must provide documentation of the following criteria regarding license, continuing education, and experience:
- License-The candidate’s license must be in good standing.
- Continuing Education-Completion of at least 20 hours, over the last year, of continuing education focusing on headache medicine.
- Experience-Meet one of the following options:
- At least one or more years of experience at a headache clinic or Headache Center of Excellence (HCoE), subject to review by NHF’s AQH Oversight Committee, or
- At least three years of experience managing headache medicine in other clinical settings, or
- A professional who has completed an accredited Neurology residency (MD or DO), or
- A professional who has successfully completed a headache fellowship, as approved by the NHF’s AQH Oversight Committee.
For more details and to register for the Fall AQH exam – https://headaches.org/aqh/
In 2012, the NHF Board recognized the growing number of advanced practice providers, along with primary care physicians, who had gained experience in the diagnosis and treatment of headache. A competency examination was then developed for eligible candidates. The goals of the AQH are to establish the standards for headache practice and to help those with migraine disease and headache disorders in locating clinicians who can provide optimal headache-related health care.
As a resource to those seeking the full list of AQH professionals, the NHF maintains an online directory that can be found at: https://headaches.org/resources/healthcare-provider-finder/
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About the National Headache Foundation The National Headache Foundation (NHF) is the leading educational and informational resource for individuals with headache, their families, physicians, allied health care professionals, and health policy decision makers. To obtain the name of a Health Care Provider interested in