To recertify as a Certified Organizational Ombuds, current CO-OP will need to fill out the recertification application. The following documents are required for recertification.

• PDH Tracking Form noting 30 hours of PDH
• A letter of recommendation for continued certification from a supervisor or Certified Organizational Ombuds or CO-OP (this is from someone who can speak to your skills as an Ombuds i.e., mentor, supervisor, or other colleague)
• An ethical attestation
• Two additional names as references (similar to what would be required in a job application)

We strongly recommend downloading the tracking form in the beginning of your four-year certification period. This way you can fill it out throughout the four years versus having to try and remember it all at the end of the fourth year. Please note that all documentation must be in English.

Download the PDH Tracking Form

A maximum of 15 PDH can be obtained per conference. This depends on which sessions you attend. Please use the conference-specific tracking sheets below to determine the conference PDH you earned and fill out your PDH tracking form above. Be sure to save these conference-specific trackers as they will need to be sent to the committee if your application is chosen for an audit.

• 2025 Conference PDH Tracker
• 2024 Conference PDH Tracker
• 2023 Conference PDH Tracker
• 2022 Conference PDH Tracker
• 2021 Conference PDH Tracker

Download an annotated example of a completed PDH Tracking Sheet.

PDH Tracking Sheet Example

 

You may receive Professional Development Hours (PDH) in the following four categories:

1. Education
   1. Attending courses, classes, webinars, workshops, training programs, conferences, or meetings. Attendance may be in-person, online, by phone, or by conference call.
   2. Maximum PDH: 15 PDH for a single educational activity (e.g. a 40-hour workshop, a full semester college class, or a single IOA conference), but up to 60 PDH total during a four-year recertification cycle.
   3. How to Calculate PDH: On an hour-for-hour basis, rounding down to the nearest quarter-hour increment. Hours should be calculated from the beginning to the end of a single session or program, including brief "stretch" or refreshment breaks. Longer breaks, such as one-hour lunch breaks, do not count toward PDH for the activity.
2. Presenting & Instruction
   1. Preparing and delivering presentations or instruction featuring substantive content aligned with the Domains.
   2. Maximum PDH: 15 PDH during a four-year recertification cycle.
   3. How to Calculate PDH: On an hour-for-hour basis, rounding down to the nearest quarter-hour increment for both preparation and presentation.
3. Mentorship
   1. Participating as a mentee or a mentor in the IOA Mentoring Program, COFO program, or any other ombuds mentoring relationships.
   2. Maximum PDH: 15 PDH during a four-year recertification cycle.
   3. How to Calculate PDH: On an hour-for-hour basis, rounding down to the nearest quarter-hour increment. Verification may be provided by attestation from the mentor/mentee.
4. Writing & Publishing
   1. Producing original research and writing that relates to one or more of the CO-OP® Domains and is published in peer-reviewed or closely vetted venues.
   2. Maximum PDH: 15 PDH during a four-year recertification cycle.
   3. How to Calculate PDH: One PDH per published page.

You can access a list of pre-approved PDH activities here. The list is updated throughout the year, so check back to see if anything new has been added by the Recertification Committee. When you list a pre-approved activity on your PDH Tracking Form, no further documentation is needed unless your application is audited.

Pre-Approved PDH Activities

 

When requesting PDH for an activity that is not on the list of pre-approved PDH activities, the Recertification Committee needs to know two things:

1. The duration of the activity
   1. You will calculate PDH on an quarter hour basis (min 30 minutes). Hours should be calculated from the beginning to the end of a single session or program, including brief "stretch" or refreshment breaks. Longer breaks, such as one-hour lunch breaks, do not count toward PDH for the activity. Conference or workshop agendas are often submitted for this purpose.
   2. Examples:
   1.  A full-day course from 9:00 AM - 4:45 PM with a one-hour lunch break would be 6.75 PDH
   2. A full-day course from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM with a one-hour lunch break would be 7 PDH
   3.  Two separate morning conference sessions, each 1.5 hours in length, with a break in between, would count for 3 PDH
   4.  A half-day course from 8:30 AM - 11:45 AM would be 3 PDH
   5. A half-day course from 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM would be 3.5 PDH
   6. A half-day course from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM would count as 3 PDH
2. How the activity corresponds to the Domains Chart.
1. The CO-OP® Recertification Committee will need to review a short description of the activity to ensure it aligns with any of the criteria listed on the CO-OP® Domains Chart.

Once submitted, application will be evaluated by the Recertification Committee. Committee members will contact you to request additional information as needed.

The Recertification Committee aims to respond to applications for recertification within six weeks.

Approved applicants will be notified by the committee through email. An official recertification packet will follow by email with the signed certificate.

The CO-OP® Recertification Committee closely reviews all applications for recertification to ensure any PDH requests (1) correctly match the amount of PDH listed with the duration of the activity and (2) describe an activity aligned with one or more of the CO-OP® Domains. To ensure clarity and the integrity of the recertification process, the committee may request additional information and documentation from any applicant when needed.

Every fourth application will also be selected for an audit. If your application is selected, the CO-OP® Recertification Committee will notify you of the audit and request additional documentation verifying participation in all activities on your PDH Tracking Form.

For each PDH category, verification documents might include:

• Education: transcripts, certificates of attendance, sign-in sheets, registration/payment receipts, or a program leader’s signed attestation
• Presenting & Instruction: a synopsis or agenda showing presenters/instructors, dates, times, length of sessions, topics, presentation/training materials, calendar entries, or participant lists
• Mentoring: written verification of completed mentoring hours from the assigned mentor or mentee
• Writing & Publishing: a copy of the publication