Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE)
The Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator is a credential from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare for clinicians and educators who teach or assess learners using simulation. SSH intends it for people working in the educator role without restriction to simulation modality, setting, learner population, or profession, and it is awarded after a candidate documents eligible experience and passes a written examination. The credential is valid for three years, after which holders recertify or renew.
SSH lists four eligibility criteria for the CHSE and a candidate has to meet all of them: participation in healthcare simulation in an educational role, focused simulation expertise with learners in undergraduate, graduate, allied health, or practitioner groups, a bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience, and two years of documented continued use of simulation in healthcare education, research, or administration. Candidates without a bachelor's degree can ask the SSH Council for Certification to review an equivalency based on combined education and experience.
Exam content comes from a blueprint that SSH rebuilt after an international practice analysis conducted between November 2022 and July 2023. The 2024 blueprint weights four domains: Professional Values, Capabilities, and Leadership at 20 percent, Healthcare and Simulation Knowledge and Practices at 28 percent, Educational Principles Applied to Simulation at 40 percent, and Simulation Resources and Environments at 12 percent. The weighting tells you what the credential is really about, because two fifths of the exam rests on educational principles rather than on equipment or logistics.
The test runs two hours and contains 115 multiple-choice questions, some of which are unscored pretest items, and certification lasts three years from the date it is granted. CHSE is one of four credentials in the SSH family, alongside the Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist (CHSOS) for the people who run the technology and the environment, plus advanced versions of both, CHSE-A and CHSOS-A. A program that wants its simulation teaching taken seriously by an accreditor or a dean usually has at least one CHSE on staff, which is why faculty development plans often name the credential as a target.
What this looks like in a program
- Simulation center directors often track how many faculty hold a CHSE as a staffing and credibility measure, since the credential is not tied to one profession or modality.
- The 40 percent weight on educational principles means CHSE preparation pushes faculty toward debriefing skill and assessment design rather than equipment operation.
- Certification expires after three years, so a faculty development budget has to carry renewal and not just the first sitting.
Last updated August 2026