About WISHRM

If you are a certified HR professional, you are probably aware that there are numerous ways to earn recertification credits. 

SHRM Certification
SHRM certification for example has three main categories to do this:

• Advance Your Education (no PDC maximum per recertification period)
• Advance Your Organization (20 PDC maximum per recertification period)
• Advance Your Profession (30 PDC maximum per recertification period)

SHRM has greatly expanded the professional development activities that professionals may use to earn their 60 recertification credits within the 3-year recertification period.  Here are some examples of how PDC credits can be earned in each of the different category areas:

Advance Your Education (credit amounts vary)

• Conferences
• Courses
• Seminars/Workshops
• Books (SHRM approved and requires SHRM quiz passing score) (3 PDCs per book)
• E-learnings

Advance Your Organization

• Work based HR projects

50+ hours of project time and a minimum period of 3 months = 10 PDCs
 or
100+ hours of project time and minimum period of 6 months = 20 PDCs

Advance Your Profession

• SHRM volunteering
  Serving as a board member, officer or committee chair = 5 PDCs per year
• Presenting (1-hour presenting = 2 PDC’s)
• Writing, research, or publication
• Professional Membership ( 3 PDC’s per year)
• Advocacy activities *
  • Writing an HR-related letter to a Congress/state legislator (1 PDC per year)
  • Participating in the SHRM Advocacy Team (A-Team) (3 PDCs per year)
  • Participating in Capitol Hill visits (3 PDCs per year)

 
Many professionals are familiar with how to record the Advance Your Education programs, but many not have experience with recording credits for Advancing Your Organization or Advancing Your Profession PDC’s.  The SHRM Recertification Handbook (pages 6-10), found on the SHRM website, certification section, provides a great overview on how to calculate your PDC for the SHRM Portal (shrmcertification.org/recertify).

HRCI Certification
HRCI certification has two main categories for professionals to submit PDC’s:

• Professional Development
• Professional Achievement.

Like SHRM’s Advance Your Education, the HRCI Professional Development category is used for educational pre-approved and self-directed learning programs.  The Professional Achievement category includes opportunities to apply for credits related to instruction, on the job experience, leadership, research, and HR professional memberships.
HRCI provides the following three questions as guidelines to help determine if credits submitted will qualify:

• Can I connect the activity to one of the responsibility or knowledge statements found in the HRCI Exam Content Outline for my certification?
• Will the activity add to my knowledge of the HR profession?
• Does the activity focus on my professional development rather than my personal development? (For example, topics such as How to Reduce Stress, Developing Your Network for Success and Personal Dynamics do not qualify.)

Coming Soon! WISHRM will soon publish to the Certification section of our website a brief tutorial on how to record your PDC’s for recertification.

*Reminder WISHRM Day on the Hill is coming up in February, and offers opportunities to earn credits in both the Advance Your Education and Advance Your Profession!
 
Sheree Yates
WISHRM Certification Director