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NACC Certification Updates

August 17, 2026 | ,

The NACC continues to strengthen the certification process to promote greater clarity, consistency, and rigor while helping applicants understand what is expected as they prepare for certification. Several important updates will be introduced in the coming months.

Certification Materials and Writing Requirements

  • Applicants must demonstrate at least 20 competencies in their written materials before advancing to a certification interview. Interview Teams will conduct an initial assessment of an applicant’s written materials within 10 days of receiving them to determine whether this requirement has been met. This important assessment step ensures that the number of competencies requiring further evaluation can be reasonably addressed during the certification interview.
  • The NACC’s new course, Ministering with Integrity: An Introduction to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, launched August 17, 2026. Effective immediately, Applicants submitting a certification application will be required to complete the new Ministering with Integrity ERD Course and the new ERD Post-Test as part of the certification process. Please see the ERD Course and Post-Test web page for more details.
  • Updated certification materials will be published in September 2026 and will be required for applicants submitting applications January 1, 2027, or later. These materials will include updated essay templates, the application form, and the Certification Instruction Booklet. The new templates will incorporate minor updates to competency language, along with clarified writing guidance and revised formats designed to make expectations easier to understand. Certification procedures, assessment rubrics, and related resources will also be updated to reflect these changes.
  • Applicants who submit their application materials on or before December 31, 2026, must use the current materials and templates, dated October 2024, in the footer. Applicants who submit their materials on or after January 1, 2027, must use the new materials and templates, dated September 2026, in the footer.
  • Beginning January 1, 2027, interview teams will use standardized clinical scenarios when additional competency assessment is needed. These scenarios will provide applicants with additional opportunities to demonstrate competencies that were not adequately addressed in their written materials or through interview responses, particularly when they have had limited experience in a specific competency area. The scenarios will also allow interview teams to assess an applicant’s emerging skills and ability to apply their knowledge in a clinical context.
  • Interview teams will also have the flexibility to extend interview length, as needed, to ensure that all remaining competencies can be appropriately assessed.

These changes are intended to strengthen consistency across certification interviews while ensuring that recommendations for certification are based on demonstrated competency across all required areas. NACC members will receive a detailed communication in September, once the application materials have been updated.

Certified Associate Chaplain – Law Enforcement

We anticipate launching the long-awaited Certified Associate Chaplain – Law Enforcement (CAC-LE) certification credential on October 1, 2026. Please watch NACC Now for additional information as we approach the launch date.