Spirometry Course Certificates
What is the purpose of the course certificate?
Federal requirements for health surveillance of certain workers exposed to cotton, coal mine, and silica dusts specify that spirometry testing must be performed by technicians with valid certificates from a NIOSH-approved Spirometry Training Course.
Students who successfully complete a NIOSH-approved spirometry training course will receive a certificate from the course sponsor. A certificate is awarded solely to the student for successfully completing the class and is not transferable to any organization, company, or institution that may have provided financial assistance or reimbursement.
Certificates should be printed with a watermark and include the following information:
- sponsor’s name
- student’s name
- dates and location of the course
- NIOSH course approval number
- signature of the approved director responsible for that course
Certificates can indicate the awarding of continuing education credit if this is granted by specific accrediting organizations.
The certificate may be requested as part of federal regulation site inspections and therefore must be retained by the student.
The course certificate is valid for 5 years. There is a 7-month grace period allowed after the initial or refresher training course 5-year expiration. After 5 years and 7 months, spirometry technicians must retake a NIOSH-approved initial 2- or 3-day course in order to continue testing that complies with regulations.
To obtain duplicate copies of course certificates, individuals should send a written request to the sponsor of their course. NIOSH does not maintain copies of individual course certificates.
NIOSH does not routinely assess the quality of spirometry tests performed in clinical and occupational settings by technicians who have completed NIOSH-approved spirometry training courses. To achieve and maintain high quality spirometry testing over time, directors of spirometry programs should ensure ongoing review of the quality of spirometry tests and that timely, ongoing feedback is provided to technicians performing the tests.
Licensure of health professionals is generally the function of a state or territorial board. Thus, those wishing to perform spirometry tests in a US state or territory, including those who have completed NIOSH-approved spirometry training courses, should contact the appropriate state or territorial agency to ensure compliance with local requirements.