CHL

Not as of the source retrieved on 2026-11-05. HSPA states that the CHL pilot examination ran October 1–15, 2026, and that applications are now closed. The new exam is scheduled for release in December 2026, so watch HSPA's certification updates page for the opening date rather than assuming a rolling application window.

HSPA has not published a confirmed CHL content outline on the pages available at the time of writing; the dedicated CHL page returned a 404. Expect leadership-focused content rather than frontline technician tasks, and verify the official outline and domain weightings directly with HSPA after the December 2026 release before you build a study plan.

These figures are not stated in the source material available, so treat any number you see elsewhere as unverified. Item count, time limit, and appointment length should be confirmed against HSPA's official certification pages or the candidate handbook once the new exam is released in December 2026.

The passing standard is not published in the source material available at retrieval. HSPA refers candidates to its certification program policies and exam reports; its monthly Town Hall sessions include a refresher on understanding exam reports. Confirm the current passing standard with HSPA directly rather than relying on secondhand figures.

Fees and retake rules are not stated in the source material available, so they are unconfirmed here. HSPA maintains separate pages for program policies and forms and applications, and its Town Hall sessions cover application requirements and policies on releasing exam information. Check those official channels for current pricing and retake terms.

The CHL targets SP professionals responsible for leading people, budgets, schedules, and quality systems - supervisors, managers, educators, and coordinators - rather than those performing decontamination and sterilization tasks day to day. If your role is primarily technical, a technician-level credential is the better fit; the CHL assumes you already understand SP workflow.

Start with regulatory compliance and quality assurance, because standards, survey readiness, and documentation underpin everything else. Then move to department operations and performance improvement, where you apply metrics and process change. Leadership and management follows naturally, and professional development and education ties the set together through competency and training programs.

Leaders often over-prepare on technical SP facts and under-prepare on management judgment: staffing decisions, conflict resolution, budget justification, and corrective action plans after audit findings. Weakness in reading performance data and translating it into an improvement plan is another frequent gap. Practice explaining your reasoning, not just recalling definitions.

Use your own department: recent accreditation or survey reports, quality and productivity dashboards, sterilization and high-level disinfection records, staff competency files, and any corrective action plans you have written. HSPA also offers publications, webinars, training courses, and reference guides through its education pages, plus monthly Town Hall sessions on certification program updates.

HSPA posts certification updates on its site and hosts a monthly Town Hall with its Certification Department, where staff cover program updates, application requirements, and policies on releasing exam information. Because the CHL is being relaunched in December 2026, verify format, eligibility, and scoring details there before relying on any third-party summary.