A new educational pathway aims to standardize training and validate clinical skills for nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- New Specialty Credential: The American College of Chest Physicians announced plans to create the first pulmonary-focused education and certification program for advanced practice providers.
- Workforce Demand: Surveys of clinicians revealed significant variation in clinical preparation alongside strong demand for standardized education and formal competency validation in pulmonary care.
- Critical Care Precedent: The program builds on the organization’s critical care credential launched in 2025, which certified more than 300 advanced practice providers in its inaugural year.
The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) announced plans to develop a specialized pulmonary education and certification program for advanced practice providers (APPs), including nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), according to the organization.
The CHEST Pulmonary APP Certification Program represents the first specialty credential of its kind in pulmonary medicine. The initiative follows a discovery evaluation developed independently by CHEST and supported through a contribution from Sanofi and Regeneron Inc.
“APPs are increasingly important members of pulmonary care teams, helping practices expand capacity, maintain continuity of care, and meet the needs of patients with complex respiratory disease,” said Frank Leone, MD, MS, FCCP, member of the pulmonary APP steering committee and professor of medicine at Penn Medicine, in a news release. “As that role continues to grow, physicians need confidence that the clinicians working alongside them have a strong foundation in pulmonary medicine. A standardized educational pathway paired with a certification process can help establish that shared foundation, support more consistent onboarding, and strengthen the entire pulmonary care team.”
Survey Highlights Training Gaps and Demand
To evaluate workforce needs, CHEST conducted national surveys of 226 qualified pulmonary APPs and 116 physicians, completed stakeholder interviews, analyzed workforce and market data, and consulted with a multidisciplinary steering committee.
The findings showed significant variation in how APPs are prepared when entering pulmonary practice, as well as strong interest across the specialty for structured education and formal competency validation.
“The discovery findings confirm what many pulmonary APPs experience every day: There is a need for a recognized pathway that both strengthens our knowledge and validates the benefit we bring to patient care,” said Corinne Young, MSN, FNP-C, FCCP, member of the pulmonary APP steering committee, in a news release. “A pulmonary credential provides an opportunity for APPs to demonstrate their specialized knowledge in a meaningful, standardized way. That recognition matters to APPs, to the physicians and health systems we work alongside, and, ultimately, to the patients who rely on us.”
Program Framework and Development
The program will establish an exam blueprint based on a job task analysis designed to pinpoint the essential knowledge, skills, tasks, and clinical judgment required in pulmonary practice. CHEST reported that it will subsequently roll out a competency framework, eligibility and maintenance requirements, and APP-specific educational modules, while engaging APPs, physicians, and healthcare organizations throughout the process.
The pulmonary initiative expands on CHEST’s previous launch of the Critical Care APP (CCAPP) Certification in 2025, which validated clinical knowledge and competence in critical care settings. In its first year, more than 300 clinicians earned the CCAPP credential, signaling substantial appetite for specialty-specific recognition and professional development.
