03/19/2026
The Monthly Momentum - Certification: Investing in Your Professional Future with Ercelene Kinnebrew
Time to check in on the three SMART goals you created last month. Have you written them down where you can see them? Have you taken small, consistent steps toward achieving them? One action per shift, or one action per week? If a goal feels stuck or too big, refine it: make it more specific, shorten the timeline, or break it into smaller steps you can realistically complete. The aim is steady progress, not perfection.
As dialysis technicians and technologists, your daily work demands skill, judgment, and compassion. The focus this month is on certification and additional credentials. Pursuing advanced certification is a powerful way to honor yourself and the responsibility you have as a technician and technologist. Most of you are already certified as CCHT or CHT, and some have advanced further by earning the CCHT-A. This commitment to educational excellence reflects how seriously you take your practice and your patients. Now is the perfect time to align your SMART goals with additional certifications and credentials that will continue to increase your expertise and influence.
Certification demonstrates your commitment to high standards of care, and can open doors to new roles, responsibilities, and opportunities for advancement.
National credentials such as CCHT, CHT, CCHT-A, CHBT, and CHWS, along with specialized training like motivational interviewing, signal to employers, peers, and patients that you take your growth seriously and are willing to stay current in a rapidly evolving field. Beyond the letters after your name, the process of preparing for certification deepens your knowledge, sharpens your clinical or technical skills, and boosts your confidence at the chairside, in the water room, and within the interdisciplinary team.
Key Takeaway: Certification validates your expertise and boosts job prospects and opportunities.
Action Step:
This month, create a simple recertification and professional growth plan:
- Evaluate your SMART goals and refine if necessary.
- Review your current certification status and renewal dates.
- Visit the NANT online library and identify at least one resource that supports your role.
- Register for one upcoming webinar that aligns with your interests or needed competencies.
- Block out a recurring 30–60-minute time slot each week for professional reading or coursework such as studying for the Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician–Advanced (CCHT-A), Certified Hemodialysis Water Specialist (CHWS) or Certified Hemodialysis Biomedical Technician (CHBT) exam or exploring topics like motivational interviewing.
Over time, the combination of clear goals and consistent educational effort will shape your career in powerful ways, expanding how you serve patients, colleagues, and the dialysis community.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
— Nelson Mandela