Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist
The Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS) exam is based on the AHDI Medical Transcriptionist Job Descriptions and the competencies outlined in the AHDI Core Competencies and the AHDI Model Curriculum. It is a voluntary credentialing exam for individuals who wish to become Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialists. The RHDS exam is designed to assess competency in healthcare documentation by determining if a candidate has the core knowledge and skills needed to practice healthcare documentation effectively in today’s healthcare environment.
Who Should Earn Their RHDS?
- Recent graduates of healthcare documentation/medical transcription education programs
- Healthcare documentation practitioners with fewer than 2 years’ experience in acute care
- Experienced practitioners working in a single-specialty environment (i.e., private practice, clinic, radiology, pathology, etc.)
- CHDS candidates who need to fulfill the RHDS prerequisite
Having the RHDS credential is a prerequisite to earning the CHDS credential. CHDS candidates who do not yet have the RHDS must first take and pass the RHDS exam. Once the RHDS credential is earned, candidates may then pay, schedule, and sit for the CHDS exam.
Recommendations for Earning Your Credential
- Possess the knowledge and skills identified as Level 1 in AHDI’s Medical Transcriptionist Job Description
- Know and understand the exam blue print published in the Credentialing Candidate Guide
- Assess your knowledge and skills to determine your readiness to sit for the exam
- Prepare and study for your exam (see available resources)
- Download the Credentialing is Credibility flyer now, and feel free to share this with others, too!
About the RHDS Exam
The 120-question RHDS exam consists of multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blank transcription against audio, and SRT editing against audio. These assessment types are used to test candidate knowledge and applied interpretive judgment in all knowledge domains represented on the RHDS Exam Blueprint, including Documentation Standards and Style, Clinical Medicine, and Health Information Technology, Privacy, and Security.
The transcription performance portion of the exam consists of short items employing medical dictation and/or transcription that must be transcribed, proofread, and/or edited. It consists of dictation that is realistic and representative of that encountered under actual working conditions. Dictation is selected for its appropriate medical content. The practical portion of the exam is designed to test a candidate’s knowledge, skill, and ability to practice healthcare documentation/medical transcription effectively in today’s healthcare environment. Emphasis in the practical portion of the exam is more on critical thinking skills rather than keyboarding, research, or other technical skills.
Download the Credentialing Candidate Guide to find out everything you need to know about the credentialing process, such as:
- Eligibility and Requirements
- Content Focus
- RHDS Exam Blueprint
- RHDS Sample Questions
- RHDS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In addition, the Candidate Guide provides detailed information about exam registration, online proctoring, exam preparation, and requirements for credential maintenance and recredentialing.
After Earning Your Credential
Upon successfully passing your credentialing exam, you will be recognized as a Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist and may use the RHDS designation. You will receive a wall certificate that shows the date through which the credential is valid (renewal date). An RHDS lapel pin may be purchased in AHDI’s online store.
Your RHDS credential will be valid for 3 years. Before your certification expires, you will need to recertify. Recertification requires you to earn 20 continuing education credits (CECs). You may also begin to prepare for the CHDS exam after earning your RHDS.
