Recently, I completed the Certificate in Healthcare Project Management with American University and OpusVi. In addition to being a valuable step to advancing my career in healthcare, I also realized that I could use the program to help me renew my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute. 

If you have a certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI), you may need to periodically report Professional Development Units (PDUs) for recertification. PDUs are the measure used to quantify approved learning and professional service activities for PMI Credentials. One hour of instruction related to project management, program management, project risk, project scheduling, or agile project management equals one PDU. 

Reporting PDUs

Here is my step-by-step guide to make it easy for you to report PDUs and stay current with your certification. 

• Step 1: Visit https://www.pmi.org/ and log in to your account. 
• Step 2: Hover on the “Certifications” tab and click “Report PDUs.” You will see your personalized dashboard, letting you know how many and the type of PDUs you need to report in order to renew your certification. 
• Step 3: Click on “Report PDUs” in the navigation pane. Use the following information:
  • Education Type: Course or Training
  • Activity: Certificate in Healthcare Project Management 
  • Provider: OpusVi and American University
  • Description: Co-developed with the expertise of leading project managers with experience in hospitals, pharmaceuticals, and other related fields, this certificate will teach the value of project management through real use cases. Participants will learn the essential elements of project management as outlined by the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). The certificate introduces role-based project management examples and factors to consider in a healthcare organization.
  • Add your start date and completion date.
  • PDUs Claimed: You can claim a total of 40 PDUs for the Certificate in Healthcare Project Management (the course is 40 hours and you may claim one PDU per hour). You will need to divide the PDUs into three categories: Technical, Leadership and Strategic. The course is proportionately distributed between lessons, discussions, and exercises, so you can distribute your PDUs evenly or make adjustments in accordance to how you contributed to class. 
• Step 4: Submit your claim. You should receive an email confirming your claim submission, and you will be able to immediately view this claim in your PMI dashboard. PMI will review your claim to ensure it meets the criteria, which typically takes no more than five business days. You will then receive another email about the status of your claim. If you have questions, please contact PMI Customer Care. 

I really enjoyed the Certificate in Healthcare Project Management, and the fact that it helped renew my PMP certification was a win-win! I also added the course to my resume and LinkedIn profile. I believe that understanding how project management can be applied to the healthcare industry is a foundational skill that could help anyone move into a more senior position within their organization, or help them transition into the business side of healthcare if they’re making a career change.