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Frequently Asked Questions

What credentials should I use after my name to indicate that I am an NACC-certified chaplain?

Certified NACC Chaplains should use 'BCC' (Board Certified Chaplain) to designate their credentials. Note that this replaces the formerly-used 'NACC Cert.'

This was explained in the September 2007 issue of Vision by NACC Board Chair Karen Pugliese, M.A.:

"The Board...agreed to implement the recommendation made at the Portland Board Meeting to replace 'NACC Cert.' with the 'BCC' (board certified chaplain) designation. I am often asked about the history of the choice of our credential. During the business meeting at the 2003 Annual Conference, a member asked what designation should be used when signing a medical chart. In the May 2003 edition of Vision, Fr. Joe Driscoll wrote that the designation 'board certified' originated from the Association of Professional Chaplains (the then College of Chaplains), which uses 'BCC' as the official designation for the board certified chaplain.
Shortly after becoming our executive director, Fr. Driscoll had several conversations with the College of Chaplains leadership and recognized the wisdom and value of this designation, since it is the language of the medical profession. However, our governing body at the time chose the designation 'NACC Cert.,' although Fr. Driscoll and others began to use the expression 'board certified' whenever we referenced a professional certified chaplain or supervisor. But was an NACC-certified chaplain 'board certified'? The answer is that our authorization to certify comes from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Commission on Certification and Accreditation, whose Board of Directors approves our certification standards and procedures. Although we didn’t use the designation 'BCC,' in fact our chaplains and supervisors are indeed 'board certified.'
However, this has caused confusion for healthcare professionals. Numerous members requested a change to "BCC" in order to communicate a recognizable professional credential to employers, physicians, interdisciplinary healthcare colleagues, patients, and families. Our cognate partners also support the change. In approving the revised standards, and in keeping with our strategic goals of enhancing professionalism, the Board of Directors, with support from the Standards and Certification Commissions approved the immediate use of the BCC appellation for NACC chaplains and supervisors. "

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